Body Dysmorphic Disorder
A mental illness involving obsessive focus on a perceived flaw in appearance.
The flaw may be minor or imagined. But the person may spend hours a day trying to fix it. The person may try many cosmetic procedures or exercise to excess.
People with this disorder may frequently examine their appearance in a mirror, constantly compare their appearance with that of others, and avoid social situations or photos.
Treatment may include counseling and antidepressant medication.
Cluster Number:
Wiki Number: W024
Diagnosis: Body Dysmorphic Disorder
US Patients: US2%
World Patients:
Sex Ratio:
Age Onset: Age 12
Brain Area:
Symptoms: Ruminates about a real or exaggerated flaw, tries to hide or uses plastic surgery
Progression: 1/3 delusional, may “pick at it” and create scars, emotional hyper-arousal, social withdrawal
Causes: Those with poor self-image get proccupied and take more “selfies” which makes it worse.
Medications: anti-depressants; I (Jim Lohr) suspect women worry about features; men about sizes of body parts.
Therapies: CBT-clarifying the false observations
Youtube Video: Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Youtube Video: Because I’m Ugly
Amazon or Library Book: Shattered Image
Amazon or Library Book: Body Dysmorphic Disorder,
Mine and Yours
Click the book to link or order from Amazon.
Click the book to link or order from Amazon.
Support Group: bddfoundation.org-Online
(Body Dysmorphic Disorder Foundation)
4 CURRENT ARTICLES
FROM PUBMED
The world-wide medical research
reports chosen for each diagnosis
Clicking each title opens the
PubMed article’s summary-abstract.
- Visual Perceptual Processing Abnormalities in Body Dysmorphic Disorderby Joel P Diaz-Fong on May 1, 2024
Phenomenological observations of individuals with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), coupled with evidence from neuropsychological, psychophysical, and neuroimaging studies, support a model of aberrant visual perception characterized by deficient global/holistic, enhanced detail/local processing, and selective visual-attentional biases. These features may contribute to the core symptomatology of distorted perception of their appearance, in addition to misinterpretation of others' facial expressions...
- Body Image, Nutrition, and Mental Healthby Hubertus Himmerich on April 27, 2024
Classical examples of disorders associated with body image disturbances are eating disorders (EDs) such as anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN), as well as body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) [...].
- The use of coaching in smartphone app-based cognitive behavioral therapy for body dysmorphic disorderby Emily E Bernstein on April 25, 2024
BACKGROUND: Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is severe and undertreated. Digital mental health could be key to expanding access to evidence-based treatments, such as cognitive behavioral therapy for BDD (CBT-BDD). Coach guidance is posited to be essential for effective uptake of digital interventions. However, little is known about how different patients may use coaching, what patterns correspond to meaningful outcomes, and how to match coaching to patient needs.
- Caring for Patients With Body Dysmorphic Disorder Seeking to Undergo Plastic Surgery and/or Aesthetic Interventionson April 19, 2024
In the field of medical aesthetics and plastic surgery, it is not uncommon to interact with clients who never seem to be satisfied, regardless of the success of an intervention. Medical professionals may attribute this to the patient having an overly critical nature; however, this continual dissatisfaction could also be the result of a mental health disorder known as body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) that is significantly underdiagnosed and prevalent within the plastic surgery and aesthetic patient...