B.D.D subject (body dysmorphia)

[missjesss]

BDD is a bitch it's what started my social phobia/avoidance ... I never knew it was an OCD spectrum disorder though...I currently take 15mg of lexapro and relieves alot of my OCD symptoms thank god, however I would also like to mention that I did in fact have surgery for my "perceived default" and I am glad I did it ...I only wish I did it a long time ago before all this mess so now I only have my avoidance behaviours to work on it's not really s.a anymore I just gotta work up the courage to go back to school etc...group CBT time it is

 

[dyingtolive]

come to think of it, it is OCD that seems to 'separate' this disorder from just something you could 'get over'. You can't simply just "stop being so BDD".

 

[Feathers]

come to think of it, it is OCD that seems to 'separate' this disorder from just something you could 'get over'. You can't simply just "stop being so BDD".

Well, in time you can learn to think differently and see things differently - with information/education, therapy/counselling like CBT or 'exposure therapy', some people DIY or get help from others, books or nutrition etc can help people with OCD too, it's not like everyone's doomed to it for life...

some of it can be brain chemistry so nutrition can have a role there (eg omega 3 etc)

 

[Shant]

Arguably, I have a similar condition, though not the same, Gender Identity Disorder. It's almost the same, except it's more centralized on gender and dysphoria regarding being in the gender you're in now.

I tend to hate how I look in general with self-image issues anyways, though.

I don't know how I cope with this, I usually just try as hard as possible to take my mind off of it by doing other things.

 

[dean01]

things keep coming to me, i know i have bdd but i realised yesterday that maybe i wear a baseball cap all the time as im unhappy with my hair?!?! as a child the hairdressers messed my haircut up several times because i have a double crown. they always shaved it all off as a result of there bad hairdressing skills. could this be seen as part of my bdd or am i being an idiot ?

 

[Mickery]

I've been asked to write down what I see when I look in the mirror. When I said I see flaws, like body parts I find unattractive, that didn't seem to qualify as a proper answer. So I'm stuck. Would anyone have a different answer that would help get me started?

 

[marwan kamel]

i have gynecomastia and this made me always not comfortable with myself
i never go to beach with my friends or my family and i wear wide clothes for hiding
also it one of the causes that made me not confident when i am with a girl

 

[Rhondasabitch]

I suffer fom BDD, it started when i was 11 and bullied at school for being ' so damn ugly'. That led to me not socialising then that in turn led to full blown socialphobia.
I did used to go out but now it's sort of like social phobia kicked in now./
Does anyone else here suffer with B.D.D which has affected your life in to social phobia.

ps: does being told your ugly or bullied make you a us a B.D.D suffer?

Body dysmorphic disorder - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I have BDD and social phobia. When I was in intensive treatment for those, plus OCD, MDD, skin picking, and trichotillomania, Dr. Eda Gorbis had a specific plan for me. For three days, I lived without mirrors. I had to cover all the mirrors in the hotel room I lived in and wear no makeup (my acne was hideous then) for those days. Then for the next three days, I could have the mirrors, but I had to put on makeup with small mistakes, put it on imperfectly. Then for the next three days, back to the no-mirrors. Gorbis had me stuff my stomach area--I used tissues and a wash cloth--so that I looked...awkwardly tubby. I walked around UCLA and Westwood like that for two weeks. I got laughs and stares from people. At first it was hard--the definition of social phobia is the fear of criticism, and I had put myself out there to be criticized--but after a little bit I didn't care. Also, I danced (purposefully) very badly, including fake break dancing, at a street corner for 15 mins. Basically, doing something that will bring you criticism is the best remedy for social phobia. It sounds insane, and it is, but it works. If it helps, go somewhere where the people won't know you. Just be creative. Exposure is the answer. Good luck!

 

[Rhondasabitch]

I've been asked to write down what I see when I look in the mirror. When I said I see flaws, like body parts I find unattractive, that didn't seem to qualify as a proper answer. So I'm stuck. Would anyone have a different answer that would help get me started?

What Dr. Eda Gorbis does for BDD patients is she lets them into her "mirror room", which is covered in funhouse mirrors. It externalizes the distorted way you see yourself in real life. I wish I could say, just look into your funhouse mirrors, but I understand you probably don't own any. :b

 

[YellowBird]

sometimes i think that i look like an orc,even some days when i think i'm okay looking, objectively,i think there's is something annoying about my face,i look at me and i want to hit myself,when i go out and people are looking at me,ofcourse i think they all think i'm hideous looking or simply have an annoying face and there's not much i can do,because i hate myself too.i can't even look at my childhood pictures,i mean a 7 year old little girl pisses me off and i've ripped many pictures.i can't explain it,it feels like i'm going insane.

 

[pop-princess]

Well I think I have BDD (perhaps a serious case) but I never considered it a "separate" diagnosis I just always considered it connected with my SA. Are there people with BDD but no SA?

I'm so sick and tired of being obsessed with my appearance. It controls so much of my life.

 

[WeirdyMcGee]

Well, I've read that BDD is often paired with depression which tends to lead to agoraphobia.
That's how it's worked for me, anyway. So I can see how it could be true.
When I was assaulted, waiting to heal- I was depressed.
The moment I saw myself in the mirror after surgery, I felt horrible; like I wasn't even looking at myself- I was a stranger looking at some hideous, pathetic monster's reflection.
And because of how I felt about myself, I stopped going to school and work and stayed locked in my room.

I've felt this way for 11 years, now.
I often get suicidal thoughts and sick to my stomach or vomit, when I catch my reflection.
There are no mirrors in my room.
I'd only get scared to see who is looking back at me.

It really does control your life.
It's a long process of re-learning self-acceptance... and many sufferers never get the help they need.

 

[Iluv]

I think I have BDD

 

[Sial Axetder]

BDD is
the reason I hide.
the reason I do not allow others close.
the reason I think dark thoughts.

 

[Feathers]

Sial really?? I never knew that!! But you look good!!

Well, BDD has no relation to how one really looks, yikes!!
Some really BEAUTIFUL people on this site have had it!!

(Haven't seen some of you yet!! McGee you are VERY beautiful on the inside tho, and that COUNTS too!! Big Time!!
hint hint to not take pics offline so quick so I can one day maybe actually see one!!)

There are books and articles about overcoming BDD, and 'specialized' counselling/coaching - maybe you guys could check those out?
I only read some stuff on Amazon ('book preview') and it was really helpful!!

(Seeing some not-so-'convemtionally beautiful' people do interesting and great things in life and find happiness with others has been helpful too!! in films, or reading biographies etc)

 

[Sial Axetder]

Sial really?? I never knew that!! But you look good!!

Well, BDD has no relation to how one really looks, yikes!!
Some really BEAUTIFUL people on this site have had it!!

(Haven't seen some of you yet!! McGee you are VERY beautiful on the inside tho, and that COUNTS too!! Big Time!!
hint hint to not take pics offline so quick so I can one day maybe actually see one!!)

There are books and articles about overcoming BDD, and 'specialized' counselling/coaching - maybe you guys could check those out?
I only read some stuff on Amazon ('book preview') and it was really helpful!!

(Seeing some not-so-'convemtionally beautiful' people do interesting and great things in life and find happiness with others has been helpful too!! in films, or reading biographies etc)

Yes, very much so. The pictures you see on profile are what I choose to show.

Pictures are only a thousand words. Reality is unforgivably much much more.

My BDD is based on something that is really real and really wrong about my physicality. I am working on it but it is coming fast to just want it to end.

How long can one work so hard at something with virtually zero return on investment?

 

[razzle dazzle rose]

I'm so sick and tired of being obsessed with my appearance. It controls so much of my life.

I feel the same way. It is just so tiring. And I feel like I must look so vain every time I pop out the mirror to check my face. But I can't help it. If my face doesn't look right, I just won't have a good time and will feel really uncomfortable. Pictures are the absolute worst. I hate looking at pictures of myself. I know I look normal and there is nothing seriously wrong with me but it is still hard to shake the feeling off. It started when I was young; I was bullied for being ugly. At the time I didn't really think I was, but by the time I was in high school my self-esteem was nonexistent. It contributes to my SA for sure. I just try my best not to think about it too much. Some days are easier than others.

 

[nafadda]

people obsessed with looks actually may come across as rather vain to many people and that may keep people away.


just throwing that out there for people that may want to have friends.for some average people it's a real turn off and they may just avoid people that are obsessed with looks.

 

[Sial Axetder]

people obsessed with looks actually may come across as rather vain to many people and that may keep people away.


just throwing that out there for people that may want to have friends.for some average people it's a real turn off and they may just avoid people that are obsessed with looks.

Makes sense.

Its not our fault. We don't want to obsess. Some if not all of us who suffer; our past, filled with insults or nagatory remarks, have filled our present with this.

What's rather interesting in a shady light is no one seems able to really help us out. Perhaps that is because those who don't suffer can't see from our minds' eyes.

 

[razzle dazzle rose]

people obsessed with looks actually may come across as rather vain to many people and that may keep people away.


just throwing that out there for people that may want to have friends.for some average people it's a real turn off and they may just avoid people that are obsessed with looks.

This is not something I talk to others about. Most people wouldn't understand and probably think I was fishing for compliments when that is not the case. Trust me, I am not vain. BDD, like SA, is misunderstood, and for many of us, BDD is what makes us socially anxious in the first place. I don't know, but your second paragraph stung a bit. We are all here 'cause we struggle to make friends and be social, so throwing that out there is unnecessary and doesn't help. Just sayin'.