OCD and Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)
Understanding BDD in relation to OCD
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), or body dysmorphia, is a mental health condition where a person spends a lot of time being overly concerned or worried about their perceived flaws around their appearance. Such defects are highly unlikely to be viewed by others, and in most cases, such can be non-existent or extremely minimal, yet to the person with BDD, these flaws become magnified. Having BDD is nothing to do with being vain or self-obsessed. Such fears typically originate from a place of deep distrust and lack of self-esteem, quite the opposite of vanity. If left untreated, BDD can have a significant negative impact on a person’s life, often generating feelings of hopelessness, despair, and frustration.
If you'd like to book a session, or talk to a therapist to understand more about OCD and BDD.
For additional information, including key differences between OCD and BDD, how to obtain a diagnosis, further symptoms and how to recognise them, a recommended reading list and more please enter your email to download our free eguide here.
What causes the development of BDD?
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), is also known as ‘Imagined ugliness syndrome’ or ‘Dysmorphophobia.’ There are numerous known similarities between obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), however the exact causes are unknown. It is commonly believed that, similar to OCD, development of BDD is due to both biological and environmental factors. BDD is said to be on the OCD spectrum.How common is BDD?
BDD affects between 1.7%-2.9% of the general population or about 1 in 50 people. Although BDD can have an impact on both males and females, symptoms girls are prevalent, especially around teen to young adult age ranges.How can our treatment help?
Our treatment can provide in-depth knowledge about the internal processes of the mind, the physiological responses, such as anxiety, and how behaviour can keep the individual stuck in the same unhelpful routines daily. While looking at the development of the condition, including the likely causes foreach person, we would also help to educate the person around the specific manifestation of the condition so that they can, in essence, become ‘their very own specialist,’ feeling empowered and able to begin to take positive steps towards recovering from the BDD. The compulsive nature of such disorders as BDD lend themselves well to intensive therapy, due to their habitual nature. Many aspects of our programs highlight unhelpful, recurrent behaviours and how to change them effectively. Similarly to OCD, much of BDD behaviours are learnt, and this offers an insight into one of the important areas that can be addressed and changed when recovering from BDD. All of our programs include Psychoeducation, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Compassion Focussed Therapy (CFT) and talking therapy, all of which together help overcome both OCD and BDD. We would also work with the person to look at both short and long term goals, relapse prevention techniques to help support life-long wellness, and offer continual support after the post-treatment for the best possible results. Ongoing support is particularly important when working with BDD, as we need to ensure that all attendees of our treatment programs remain motivated throughout the entirety of their recovery. BDD can feel extremely overwhelming for the person, but we would like to offer reassurance that this can be successfully managed and treated.
If you'd like to book a session, or talk to a therapist to understand more about OCD and BDD
For additional information, including key differences between OCD and BDD, how to obtain a diagnosis, further symptoms and how to recognise them, a recommended reading list and more please enter your email to download our free eguide here.