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BDD: BODY DYSMORPHIC DISORDER
‘1. Do you often check your appearance in mirrors or other reflecting surfaces such as windows? Or do you frequently check your appearance without using a mirror by looking directly at the disliked body part? 2. Do you avoid mirrors because you dislike how you look? 3. Do you frequently compare yourself to others and often think that you look worse than they do? 4. Do you often ask or want to ask others whether you look okay or whether you look as good as other people? 5. Do you try to convince other people that there’s something wrong with how you look, but they consider the problem nonexistent or minimal? 6. Do you spend a lot of time grooming- for example, combing or arranging your hair, tweezing or cutting your hair, applying make up, or shaving. Do you spend too much time getting ready in the morning or do you groom yourself frequently during the day? Do others complain that you spend too much time in the bathroom? 7. Do you pick your skin because you are trying to make it look better? 8. Do you try to cover or hide parts of your body with a hat, clothing, make up, sunglasses, your hair, your hand or other things? Is it hard to be around other people when you haven’t done these things? 9. Do you often change your clothes, trying to find an outfit that covers or improves disliked aspects of your appearance? Do you take a long time selecting your outfit for the day, trying to find one that makes you look better? 10. Do you try to hide certain aspects of your appearance by maintaining a certain body position- for example, turning your face away from others? Do you feel uncomfortable if you can’t be in your preferred positions? 11. Do you think that other people take special notice of you in a negative way because of how you look? For example, when you walk down the street, do you think others are noticing what’s unattractive about you? 12. Do you think that other people are thinking negative thoughts about you or making fun of you because of how you look? Are you ’paranoid’ because of this? 13. Is it hard for you to leave the house, or have you actually been housebound because of how you look? 14. Do you frequently measure parts of your body hoping to find they’re as small as, as large as, or as symmetrical as you’d like? 15. Do you spend a lot of time reading about your appearance problems in the hope that you’ll reassure yourself about how you look or find a solution to your problem? 16. Have you wanted to get cosmetic surgery, dermatologic treatment or other medical treatment to fix your appearance when other people (for example, friends or doctors) have told you such treatment isn’t necessary? Have surgeons been reluctant to do cosmetic surgery, saying the defect is too minor or they’re afraid you won’t be pleased with the results? 17. Have you had cosmetic surgery and been disappointed with the results? Or have you had multiple surgeries, hoping that with the next procedure your appearance problems will finally be fixed? 18. Do you work out excessively to improve your appearance? 19. Do you diet, even though others tell you it isn’t necessary? 20. Do you avoid having your picture taken because you think you look so bad? 21. Are you late for things because you worry you don’t look okay or because you’re trying to fix an appearance problem? 22. Do you get depressed or anxious because of how you look? 23. Have you felt that life wasn’t worth living because of your appearance? 24. Do you get very frustrated or angry because of how you look? 25. Does it take you longer to do things because you’re distracted by appearance worries or related behaviours such as mirror checking? 26. Do you feel more comfortable going out at night, or sitting in a dark part of a room, because your defects will be less visible? 27. Do you have panic attacks or get very anxious when you look in the mirror because of how you look?’ If you answer yes to a large proportion of these questions BDD might be your diagnosis. Please remember not to confuse BDD with anorexia as that is a separate illness.
One of the most damaging aspects of this disorder is that it is very often kept secret. Sufferers usually believe that their problem is physical, though they probably admit to being overly concerned, they try to solve their problem with cosmetics and even plastic surgery. They don’t want to tell a doctor or anyone else about their problem in case people just think of them as vain or silly. This is NOT vanity. Some people are worried that if they tell someone about their defect it will draw attention to it even more. This is the problem I am trying to overcome. The more people that know about this disorder the better. If you know what it is you are suffering from you can make steps to seek help. With BDD- knowledge is power. BDD IS treatable with serotonin-reuptake-inhibitors (anti-depressant medication that has anti-obsessional and anti-compulsive properties) and cognitive behavioural therapy can also be helpful. If you think you may have BDD you must contact your doctor. BDD can lead to severe depression and a lack of self worth that can finally lead to suicide attempts. BDD was not the only reason S Westwood tried to take his life, but it was a huge part of it. It is a very serious problem and should never be trivialised despite how hard it is for other people to understand. People will say ‘you look fine don’t worry’ but it doesn’t matter how often you hear this you will never believe them.
FURTHER READING ON BDD Wikipedia.org  |
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