Body Dysmorphic Disorder
(BDD)
When poor body image is an illness
What is body dysmorphic disorder (BDD)?
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a serious illness when
a person is preoccupied with minor or imaginary physical flaws, usually of the
skin, hair, and nose. A person with BDD tends to have cosmetic surgery, and even if the
surgeries are successful, does not think they are and is unhappy with the
outcomes.
What are the symptoms of BDD?
- Being preoccupied with minor or imaginary physical flaws, usually of the skin, hair, and nose, such as acne, scarring, facial lines, marks, pale skin, thinning hair, excessive body hair, large nose, or crooked nose.
- Having a lot of anxiety and stress about the perceived flaw and spending a lot of time focusing on it, such as frequently picking at skin, excessively checking appearance in a mirror, hiding the imperfection, comparing appearance with others, excessively grooming, seeking reassurance from others about how they look, and getting cosmetic surgery.
Getting cosmetic surgery can make BDD worse. They are often not happy with the outcome of the surgery. If they are, they may start to focus attention on another body area and become preoccupied trying to fix the new "defect." In this case, some patients with BDD become angry at the surgeon for making their appearance worse and may even become violent towards the surgeon.
What is the treatment for BDD?
- Medications. Serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs are antidepressants that decrease the obsessive and compulsive behaviors.
- Cognitive behavioral
therapy. This is a type of therapy with several steps:
- The therapist asks the patient to enter social situations without
covering up her "defect."
- The therapist helps the patient stop doing the compulsive behaviors to check the defect or cover it up. This may include removing mirrors, covering skin areas that the patient picks, or not using make-up.
- The therapist helps the patient change their false beliefs about
their appearance.
Source: The National Women's Health Information Center
Last Editorial Review: 3/6/2008
- sertraline, Zoloft - Information on the medication sertraline (Zoloft) a drug used to treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, social anxiety disorder, and postmenstrual dysphoric disorder. Article includes descriptions, uses, drug interactions, and side effects.
- Psychotherapy - Mental Health: Psychotherapy To Treat Depressionin teens and adults
- Stress - Read about stress symptoms, signs, causes and treatment. Get information on stress management tips, the effects on the body and stress types (teen, job, PTSD).
Latest Medical News
|
|
 |
From WebMD
Skin and Beauty Resources
Featured Centers
Health Solutions From Our Sponsors
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Stress »
What is stress?
Stress is simply a fact of
nature—forces from the outside world affecting the individual. The individual
responds to stress in ways that affect the individual as well as their
environment. Hence, all living creatures are in a constant interchange with
their surroundings (the ecosystem), both physically and behaviorally. This
interplay of forces, or energy, is of course present in the relationships
between all matter in the universe, whether it is living (animate) or not living
(inanimate). However, there are critical differences in how different living
creatures relate to their environment. These differences have far-reaching
consequences for survival. Because of the overabundance of stress in our modern
lives, we usually think of stress as a negative experience, but from a
biological point of view, stress can be a neutral, negative, or positive
experience.
In general, stress is related to both external...
Read the Stress article »
|
Mental Health RSS