Do I have Body Dysmorphia? (how to tell if you have BDD)

A hand drawn image of an eye. The white of the eye and the iris are coloured vibrantly making them pop out while the skin is pencil shaded.
Artwork by DanielHannah

Close your eyes for a moment.

Now picture yourself…

What do you see?

What are the details that stand out in this picture of yourself?

What feelings go with this picture?

…

Now open your eyes.

If you saw details that you feel are highly dissatisfactory, or you felt a strong negative sensation such as an almost burning or heaviness, then you might have Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD).

What am I supposed to do about this?

Well as you probably might have guessed—  it’s a little complicated.

Truthfully, the material focus of your BDD is usually seen by others as insignificant or even imperceptible. But BDD is not based in reality, so nevertheless, we often choose to try and “fix” our appearances’.

About Cosmetic Enhancement

Now if a “fix” can be made then that’s ok. But hold on one second before you go and book your £10,000 surgery— ‘if it can be made’. By this I mean that the “fix” you’re trying to make should create an obvious improvement to your appearance.

You should always speak to a qualified medical professional first before getting a procedure done because they will be able to tell you if this aspect of your appearance can or can’t be improved.

This is extremely important because these procedures have the potential to worsen your appearance, and then in turn, your mental health.

And just to note, the same advice goes for people thinking of taking steroids which can additionally cause lasting damage to your body.

An obvious example of a good “fix” is makeup. For example wearing concealer to cover up scars or acne often offers a marked benefit to people suffering with BDD.

Fixing negative thought processes

A vector drawing of a woman sitting at a desk, thinking. There's a thought bubble above her head which is filled with violent scribbles to visualise her negative thoughts.
Image by storyset on Freepik

Here is what most helps people deal with BDD.

Fixing negative thought processes targets the actual problem in people with body dysmorphia: Body Image.

Body Image refers to your perception of your body. In people with BDD, this perception often has a strong negative skew, which is inaccurate and extremely unrepresentative of their actual physical appearance.

This is the problem that fixing negative thought processes specifically targets, and the problem of which the most popular therapy techniques are designed around.

How do I start fixing negative thought processes?

Thankfully, there are a bunch of ways you can start fixing your negative thought processes right now!

Here are some helpful free resources:

Dedicated self-help resources such as Building Body Acceptance as well as other reputable books use techniques created by psychologists that are medically reviewed and proven to be successful in helping people deal with BDD.

What if this doesn’t help me or I decide I want/need even more help?

A vector drawing of a man sitting on a stool; he's slouching with a sad and hopeless expression on his face. There's a dark raincloud above his head which is raining on him.
Image by pikisuperstar on Freepik

If body dysmorphia is seriously affecting your life then the first step you should take is to speak to your doctor about it.

You may want to mention therapy or anti-depressants if you’re thinking about them, as well as any self-help materials you’ve tried if you’ve tried any.

Hopefully after speaking to your doctor you’ll have a treatment plan ready for the foreseeable future.

If you’re not satisfied with your doctor’s advice however, you can always refer yourself to a therapist to gain more insight into yourself, or if you want to talk to someone understanding for free then the BDD Foundation offers an email helpline specifically for body dysmorphia.

I’m experiencing thoughts of suicide or self-harm what do I do?

If you’re in this position, it’s important to speak to someone as soon as you can. You can contact a crisis hotline in your country by using this list.

Conclusion

If you’re someone suffering with BDD; I hope this article has given you a place to start.

Thank you for reading, and remember to be kind to yourself!

Sources

I am not a medical professional, however this article has been written with the help of facts from reputable medical sources.

Here is each section of the article followed by the sources used in it:

  1. (the introduction)
  2. ‘What am I supposed to do about this?’
  3. ‘About Cosmetic Enhancement’
  4. ‘Fixing negative thought processes’
  5. ‘How do I start fixing negative thought processes?’
  6. ‘What if this doesn’t help me or I decide I want/need even more help?’
  7. ‘I’m experiencing thoughts of suicide or self-harm what do I do?’
  8. ‘Conclusion’
    • N/A

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