Maybe we would like thicker hair, slimmer thighs, or smoother facial skin. This is a relatively harmless approach to our own body and appearance.
With BDD, you experience an excessive preoccupation with often specific parts of your body, e.g. nose, hair, skin areas or the size of different body parts. You have a critical look at the 'problematic' areas, and think about how they can be changed. Many people who suffer from BDD have desires for drastic interventions such as plastic surgery, and are ashamed daily of what they consider to be a defect in themselves. Something that characterizes BDD is that the area of focus, seen from the outside, is a minor physical deviation or not visible at all to others.
Although the 'flaws' may appear insignificant or non-existent from an external perspective, they are a source of considerable shame, anxiety and discomfort for the sufferer. People with BDD often have an urge to perform time-consuming rituals to try to relieve their discomfort with the 'flaw'. This can include, for example, excessive exercise, personal grooming, time-consuming make-up rituals, elaborate hair styling, or 'skin picking'. Some will adopt a particular posture or dress to try to hide their 'flaw' from others. A consequence of BDD can therefore be changed behavior in social contexts, and in some cases withdrawal from social contexts.
There has been research into the treatment of BDD where studies have shown good results using acceptance-based cognitive behavioral therapy, such as ACT. In therapy, you will work with the discomfort that drives the destructive actions. At the same time, you will examine the self-perception that underpins the problem, and what experiences have influenced this self-perception. Through therapy, we will focus on creating an alternative approach to, and a different view of, yourself and your body.
We help with the treatment of body dysmorphia in Danish and English.
If this is a problem you are struggling with and would like help moving forward, we would like to hear from you. Send us an email or call us and we will find out how we can best help you.