Symptoms and Treatment for Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Body Dysmorphic Disorder Definition
Body Dysmorphic Disorder is a preoccupation with one or more parts of the body, perceiving them as ugly, disproportionate, or uneven. The preoccupation of this perceived flaw can take up hours of each day and cause significant anxiety and depression. In many cases, the perceived flaw is not noticeable by others.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder affects 1 in every 50 people in the United States, which is approximately between 5-10 million people every year (The broken mirror: Understanding and treating body dysmorphic disorder).
Symptoms of Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Body Dysmorphic Disorder Symptoms include the following:
- Persistent and intrusive negative self-appraisal of one or more body parts, despite being told they look fine.
- Significant anxiety about perceived flaws and a strong urge to correct them.
- Interest in and/or follow through with unnecessary plastic surgeries to correct the perceived flaw.
- Lack of satisfaction with body or body parts, despite efforts to change them (makeup, surgery or other medical procedures).
- These intrusive thoughts often lead to compulsive behaviors, done in an attempt to reduce the anxiety and discomfort caused by BDD thoughts.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder Tests and Diagnosis
In order to receive a diagnosis, you must meet the criteria of Body Dysmorphic Disorder in DSM-5 (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, Edition 5). Many of these criteria are shown in the symptom sections above. Body Dysmorphic Disorder treatment involves a thorough functional assessment of the symptoms of Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Please be aware that there are many Body Dysmorphic Disorder tests and Body Dysmorphic Disorder quizzes available online, however they are not enough to correctly diagnose a person with BDD.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder Causes
The causes of body dysmorphic disorder are not exactly known and may vary from person to person. However, what we do know is that there is a strong genetic component for BDD, as well as a social component. While biology often causes Body Dysmorphic Disorder, we know that cultural expectations to be “perfect” or look a certain way also impact the severity of some people's symptoms. During therapy, it may be helpful in identifying the cause of Body Dysmorphic Disorder, particularly in cases where diet culture, perfectionistic norms and societal expectations may be exacerbating one’s symptoms.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder Treatment
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is known to be the gold-standard treatment for Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). CBT involves learning how to identify distorted thoughts and restructure them into more reasonable and rational ones. This is commonly called Cognitive Therapy. Patients will use Body Dysmorphic Disorder worksheets and handouts to create new ways of thinking about their ability to cope with these struggles.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder treatments also involve Exposure and Prevention (ERP), which is a form of Behavioral Therapy used to help a client manage their perceived flaw while also practicing not engaging in compulsive safety behaviors. Using a hierarchy created by the client, the client will practice managing their fears and preoccupation about their perceived flaw while using tools such as Mindfulness and Self-Compassion (Read more about Mindfulness here).
Supplemental treatments of Body Dysmorphic Disorder also involve Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Mindful Self-Compassion and also Dialectical Behavior Therapy.
BDD and Co-existing Disorders
In some cases BDD will look similar to other disorders, causing many to go misdiagnosed for some time. It is important to rule out other disorders before beginning treatment. Related disorders may include Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Social Anxiety, Eating Disorders such as Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa and Orthorexia.
