Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)

What is Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)? 

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is an anxiety disorder where a person is very preoccupied with an imagined defect in their physical appearance that is not observable or appears only slight to others. It can affect all genders and can lead to a person being excessively self-conscious of their appearance.

BDD involves a person experiencing obsessive thoughts concerned with a perceived slight flaw about their appearance which causes excessive anxiety. The obsessions are frequently focused on the head and face, but may involve any body part which can often lead to avoidance of social situations, relationships and intimacy.

BDD is time consuming due to carrying out certain compulsive rituals and behaviours (e.g., mirror checking, excessive grooming, skin picking, or reassurance seeking) or mental acts (e.g., comparing one’s appearance with that of other people) due to the persons own appearance concerns.

Other behaviours of BDD will include some or all of the following:

• Checking the appearance of a specific body part in mirrors
• Camouflaging a perceived defect with clothing or makeup
• Excessive grooming, by combing, shaving, removing or cutting hair, applying makeup
• Picking their skin to make it smooth
• Picking the skin around a perceived defect
• Comparing the appearance of a perceived defect with that of others
• Dieting and excessive exercise or weight lifting
• Avoiding social situations in which a perceived defect might be exposed
• Possibly seeking surgery or dermatological treatment despite being told that surgery is not required

Professional support is often required to determine the correct treatment in order to make a full recovery. CBT is one of the most an evidence based psychological intervention for the treatment for Body Dysmorphic disorder.

For More information and self help resources on OCD please check out these websites below:

https://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/Resources/For-Clinicians/Body-Dysmorphic-Disorder

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)