Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Question: why body dysmorphic disorder can be frequently confused with addiction? I was my chatting with my friends when our topic shifted to body dysmorphic disorder. I know this is a disorder where you dislike your own body, but most of my friend associate this is addiction. How can this be associated with addiction? Any insights is appreciated.

Answer: I think that it depends on the context that body dysmorphic disorder is in. I think that it is the cause and an addiction is the effect. Say, for example, that someone doesn't like the way they look, so they develop body dysmorphic disorder. This might drive them to be anorexic and/or bulimic, which are both serious eating disorders and the effect of the body dysmorphic disorders; anorexia and bulimia are both considered special types of food addictions. If this happens, then I would say that it could lead to an addiction, but wouldn't necessarily be an addiction in of itself. However, I'm strictly talking about a dislike of someone's body with respect to weight. If we're talking about body dysmorphic disorder because of something like an acne breakout or someone's skin tone, then I wouldn't call it an addiction at all; I'd call it a complex. However, I can see where the argument for an addiction would come from.

Question: Can a person have body dysmorphic disorder and see things that are not there without obsessing? Can one have body dysmorphic disorder and see body problems that arn't there and not obsess over them?Or in order to say one has this do their whole lives have to be focused on the issue?

Answer: The diagnostic criteria require that the patient suffer "clinically important distress" or "impaired work, social, or personal functioning." Admittedly these are rather vague descriptions, but I believe they both reflect some degree of obsession. [In fact OCD is sometimes comorbid with BDD]. So if a (hypothetical) patient perceived some imaginary disfigurement and wasn't particularly concerned about it, I suppose BDD would be excluded as a diagnosis. The answer to the question would then be: a person cannot have BDD without obsessing over their appearance. That hypothetical case seems very unlikely to me, but I have no proof that it couldn't happen.

Question: Do anyone have information about body dysmorphic disorder? I'm a 15 year old girl with and got diagnosed with body dysmorphic disorder. I'm taking Lexapro for anxiety/depression because they thought it would help my self-esteem but it really hasn't. I went to therapy and really didn't like it. Any body have any other information about BDD or any suggestions on how to make life easier living with BDD?

Answer: Well it is usually when people have really low self-esteem and think they are hideous, when they really are not. For some reason they do not see the same thing in the mirror like everyone else sees. Were you ever traumatize about your looks from your parents? Did they tell you all your life that you were ugly? It can be brought on by many reasons. The best thing to do is to stick with the therapy. It will take a long time to work through it. But it is possible.

Question: Do any of you suffer from body dysmorphic disorder? I'v had acne in the past and obsessed about my appearance for years. When the acne went I started worrying about other facial features. I am now obsessing about wrinkles. I am only 23 so they are just fine lines but I am getting upset about them. I feel so ashamed and dont know why I am letting my appearance affect me in this way. Does anyone else obsess about their appearance in this way? I am now beginning to think i may be on the verge of developing body dysmorphic disorder and dont know what to do.

Answer: ^^^^I left a post on the above person's other question about BDD. It may help, it may not thanx Tom

Question: can you still have Body Dysmorphic Disorder BDD if you eat? i have all the signs of Body Dysmorphic Disorder BDD , ecxept i still eat, so does that mean i cant have it? or does it still mean i have it?

Answer: From what I've read (which wasn't much so...) BDD isn't the same as an eating disorder. You obsess about some part of your body which is 'ugly' and you keep worrying about that part...so much so that disrupts your daily life. People with BDD don't necessarily starve themselves because it's not their weight their obsessed about but 'how bent their nose looks' or 'how small their fingers are'...random examples :P So ya...you could still suffer from BDD but I'd seek professional advice if you really want to be sure.

Question: How Would Someone With Chronic Body Dysmorphic Disorder Go About Getting Help? I have, and I'm 18 and I've had it for 2 years. It controls my life, and I'm a prisoner in my own body. I kind of want to get help, but then I don't because I have this image of how I desperately want to look like. But I'm become so depressed I'm considering therapy. What should I do?

Answer: My situation is a bit different. I suffer from major depression. Probably, you are looking for personal anecdotes, and the last thing you want to see is a bunch of links about BDD. Well, here is a bunch of links about BDD. The typed words above each link are self-explanatory. I included support groups, because each week I attend a support group for folks with chronic depression, bipolar disorder, OCD, etc. Being in a group where you can openly express what you are feeling and know that others in the group can understand has been a great experience for me. I wish you the best. general google search: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=bod… treatment: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=bod… support groups: http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=na… EDIT: Although it is pretty obvious, I forgot to mention that speaking with a professional counselor or therapist can be very helpful.

Question: Can People recieve social security for body dysmorphic disorder? Is this disorder considered a disability?

Answer: No. However, most psychiatrists and psychologists think it is a truly debilitating disorder that deserves to be recognized as such. But, there are many diseases that are co-morbid with body dysmorphic disorder that would get you disability for your job.

Question: How does someone cure body dysmorphic disorder? my friend has no self confidence whatsoever and is always putting herself down. and no matter now much i tell she is beautiful, which she is, she doesnt believe it. she doesnt like her personality either. which i dont know why. shes a wonderful person. she'll probably read this. but i dont care. how do i help her feel good about herself and her body? she has it bad. and shes been to every doctor in the state but no one believes her. what i said was just some of what she goes through.

Answer: Imagine this. Look into a funny mirror that makes your body wide, tall, or weird. That is what it's like looking in an everyday mirror for someone with BDD. They might see a big nose when it's not there, or a fat body stuff like that. What would you do if you had that? Tell "your friend" to look in the mirror and tell herself she's beautiful everyday. This will (slowly) help her BDD. She should see different doctors if it's that bad.

Question: What do I do when I have body dysmorphic disorder? http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/mental-health-body-dysmorphic-disorder Of course, my mom doesn't believe me. She says people just like to "diagnosis themselves". It's so annoying. I already know that I have BDD. I'm definitely sure because it fits perfectly with how I act about my looks. I heard you have to see a psychiatrist/therapist? How do I do that when my mom doesn't even believe me? It's like I have no one to talk to. >.<

Answer: go to doctors and ask them! if ur mum wont listen to u then u need some1 who will thats y its best to see people who no wat there doing! ie. [doctor] dont diagnoise urself, EVER! If u think theres something not quite right then go to ur doctor and tell them everything ur feeling! dont be embarressed either cuz its all private so nobody will no that u have been!

Question: is being transexual the same as body dysmorphic disorder? It sounds wrong and i dont think that being gay or lesbian is at all a disorder but what about transgenders? Isn't it the same as an anorexic wanting to be thinner or a straight person who decides to get a ton of surgeries? The urge to change your form into something that is unnatural or dangerous in my mind is always a sign of some mental problem regardless of how someone may feel they were born into the wrong body.

Answer: Transsexualism is a physical birth condition, not a mental disorder. If transsexualism were a mental disorder, the only known cure would not be a physical cure, which is transition (Sex Change)