Body dysmorphia is a disorder characterized by an intense perception of one’s own image. People with BDD often have perceptions about their bodies revolving around particular physical defects that seem very real and concerning for them while minor and unnoticeable to others.
These preoccupations are usually hard to resist/ control and are intrusive, time-consuming, and unwanted in nature.
Body dysmorphic disorder has an estimated prevalence rate of 2.1-2.9% of the general population. BDD’s common onset is among teenagers and young adults where young women’s point prevalence rates are relatively higher compared with young men.
Although the disorder appears to be chronic, improvements are likely when evidence-based treatment is applied. If fully and appropriately treated with both psychotherapy and medication, BDD has a good prognosis.
We encourage you to seek help as soon as you suspect that you, or someone you know have similar symptoms of BDD. The sooner we understand the nature of these symptoms, the better it’ll be in managing them and reducing the impact it might have later on. If you already know someone with BDD, we recommend professional treatment with a mental health provider. They can help create a better, livable, constructive lives and manage symptoms accordingly. Lastly, we know that sometimes people tend to read symptoms associated with a certain disorder and claim that “I do that, I have this etc.”. When this happens, just remember that although we may share similar features with the symptoms listed, they have to be recurrent, persistent, and affect everyday job tasks greatly to be diagnosed as a disorder. They are rare and chronic, but help is always reachable and effective.
To manage and treat the symptoms of body dysmorphic disorder, two core solutions can be applied: Psychotherapy and Medications
Psychotherapy or talk therapy includes a technique called Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) which helps people with BDD detect and change their way of thinking and behaving. The goal is to correct the false belief about the defect and try to reduce the compulsive behavior that follows. Another psychotherapy technique used to treat BDD is called Exposure and response prevention (ERP) which involves gradually facing situations that makes you obsessively think about your appearance. Overtime, you will find better ways to deal with them without feeling self-conscious or afraid.
Medications are another core treatment method for BDD, especially selective serotonin reuptake (SSRIs) which is a type of antidepressant (ex: fluoxetine).
Important disclaimer A consultation and prescription with a medical mental health professional is necessary before taking any kind of medication.
