A Guide to Eating Disorders

Body Dysmorphic Disorder

BDD

Do you ever just look in the mirror; at your face, and discover those small details—the ones that take long, lingering glances to notice, not a second-long glimpse? We all have that one flaw—right? Maybe it's a crooked nose, or perhaps a large forehead, or a funny-coloured blemish on your arm. It seems like a minor thing, I mean, isn't it? To most of us, that's just what it is—a small flaw that you just have to accept and then move on; it's a tiny truth that doesn't really matter. However, for sufferers of Body Dysmorphic Disorder; BDD for short that's not the truth. They think about that flaw—sometimes even just a perceived flaw—constantly, and can't stop their flow of negative thoughts.

I'm Confused—What is BDD?

It's a preoccupation with a defect in appearance, the defect either being imagined or a small anomaly blown out of proportion. In either instance, the individual's concern is quite excessive. So, in layman's terms, it means that they have an obsession about one part of their appearance and that they believe that this attribute is incredibly flawed or ugly. A particular category of it; the one that ED’s originate from, makes individuals believe that they are too heavy, large or otherwise flawed in regards to weight.

People with BDD tend to believe that other people are taking extra time to think of them or talking about/laughing at them behind their backs. Due to this form of paranoia, individuals will spend hours upon hours in front of the mirror, trying to make their "flaws" disappear. And when worst comes to worst and BDD gets the best of them, they might even refuse to venture outside of their homes. Please keep in mind, however, that sufferers are not narcissistic. In fact, they are the opposite of narcissistic or vain, no matter how they may be regarded in media. Common other psychological problems that individuals with BDD may have are OCD, Hypochondria, Social Anxiety Disorder and General Anxiety Disorder. Other frequent mood disorders are also common.

Although there are hundreds of thousands of different flaws that someone could perceive about themselves, the most common ones are acne, scars, hair, wrinkles, pale/redness, and puffiness or thinness of an attribute or body part.

Due to the disparaging worry and obsession that people with BDD go through, they go out of their way to avoid social/public situations for fear of being mocked or rated negatively by the people around them. If they do enter these situations, it's often with an extreme and unhealthy amount of anxiety and fear. To try to minimize the discomfort, camouflaging their "flaw" is very common. This can be done in any number of ways, but makeup, certain body positions and placements and clothes are utilized the most frequently.

Many BDD-afflicted individuals that are in the position to have surgery—well, they do. That one starting out surgery won't satisfy the brain chemicals that cause BDD and then an individual can even become addicted to plastic surgery. Most of the time, tweaking their appearance to adjust the hairline or plump up/thin down a little won't satisfy them, and one surgery can lead to thousands of dollars down the drain and eight or ten "follow-up" procedures—still without results that they deem satisfactory.

So, What Actually Causes BDD?

Well, this disorder is genetic, meaning that it runs in the family, along with similar (in brain chemistry terms) disorders like OCD or depression. If an individual has BDD, chances are they have a relative that has experienced BDD, OCD, depression or an eating disorder. The gene is hard to identify as recessive or dominant, so it may skip generations or certain branches of the family tree. If an individual is wondering whether or not it's genetic in their case, it's best to look back several generations to see whether or not it was present at all—whether in the exact same form or not. That being said, those with immediate relatives that suffer from BDD are much more likely to have it themselves as the behaviors and traits are absorbed into their everyday life.

However, it can also be brought on by a number of other things; sociological factors being the big one. But unrelated things such as abuse have definitely also been known to trigger it. Perfectionism can be a factor, but it's far more likely with the subcategories of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Nonetheless, it is thought that people with BDD appreciate aesthetic and have been previously exposed to fine art or design—which leads to picking out small or nonexistent flaws in themselves.

It has to be said that BDD itself is not actually an eating disorder. Instead, it is a disorder that influences other ED’s, such as Muscle Dysmorphia, Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Purging Disorder, Orthorexia Nervosa and certain cases of OSFED. These eating disorders are all mental illnesses where the individual wants to alter their body because of BDD. Examples of ED’s that are not influenced by BDD include Pica, ARFID, NES, Rumination and BED.