Body Dysmorphic Disorder

(BDD)

People with Body Dysmorphic Disorder - have a distorted perception of their own body shape - becoming preoccupied with an imagined defect or showing excessive concern about some minor anomaly

BDD sufferers typically try to hide thier 'affliction

We have known for some time that Anorexics have a distorted perception of their bodies,no matter how thin they are they still see themselves like the Michelin man.And it is not restricted to women,men are increasingly perceiving themselves as too thin and becoming obsessive about weight training and body building,even to the extent of taking anabolic steroids

In the most severe cases people go to extraordinary lenghts to rid themselves of their ugly feature, in some cases amputating an unwanted limb

Causes

Body Dysmorphic Disorder shares features with several other Psychiatric conditions,including Anorexia and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Like Anorexics, BDD suferers see their body in a distorted way,but while Anorexics flaunt their thinness and are proud of it,people with BDD regard their affliction as a terrible secret

Preoccupation with an imagined defect in appearance is the basis of this disorder

If a slight physical anomaly is present,the person's concern is marked excessive

BDD quite often starts in adolescence when teenagers are plague with insecurity and shyness

It wouldn't be uncommon to feel that everything about you was wrong - the size of your head,your hands,your height,your thinness,your fatness,your spots.You may resort to all sorts of treatment & procedures

There are normal Adolescent anxiety blown up to monstrous proportions,so that eventually you may believe that if anyone even looks at you in the street they are condenmming you for living

Self-loating can be so intense that you repeatedly mutilate yourself

Life may become one complex ritual.You check your face in the mirror hundreds of times a day and it can take you 5 hours to get ready to go out

Just why someone tumbles into the BDD pit of self-loathing no one knowns

There is speculation about triggering events in childhood

Researchers have shown that Anorexics have reduced blood flow to the part of the brain that controls vision,which might be linked with the distortion of their body image

Brain scans have revealed that several areas in the brain malfunction in cases of OBD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).It might be the same with those suffering of BDD

60% of those effected,recover with therapy

Treatment

The recommended treatment for BDD's is - Cognitive Therapy.This involves being exposed to more and more challenging situations until you can begin to function in society again.Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitor (SSR) drugs can help too.Also self-help groups gives support and advice

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info source:

Dr Mirriam Stoppard - Family Health Guide