BDD has similarities to other conditions Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) – characterised by recurring unwanted thoughts and images (obsessions) and repetitive rituals (compulsions). As people with BDD are obsessively preoccupied with an aspect of their appearance, it has been proposed that BDD may be a form of OCD.
The symptoms of both OCD and BDD have similarities; so much so, BDD is sometimes misdiagnosed as OCD. Like OCD, body dysmorphic disorder involves persistent and recurrent obsession-like thoughts that are distressing and often uncontrollable.
Sounds like OCD, doesn't it? Sure. But it's not. Although there are clearly many similarities between OCD and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), the two are in fact quite different and treatment needs to reflect that.
Body dysmorphic disorder is categorized by the most current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as an obsessive-compulsive related disorder, which means that the symptoms are similar to, but not exactly the same as, symptoms found in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Comorbidity is common in body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). Major depressive disorder, social anxiety disorder (social phobia), obsessive-compulsive disorder, and substance use disorders are the most frequently co-occurring Axis I conditions.
There are other mental health disorders that are common in people with BDD. They include obsessive compulsive disorder, social anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.
Like many other mental health conditions, body dysmorphic disorder may result from a combination of issues, such as a family history of the disorder, negative evaluations or experiences about your body or self-image, and abnormal brain function or abnormal levels of the brain chemical called serotonin.
A 2018 study conducted by researchers from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden found that patients with BDD were twice as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD, and a 2019 study revealed that body dysmorphia is more prevalent with conditions of obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety and ADHD.
Body image concerns that may amount to symptoms of BDD are common in a severe or emotionally unstable personality disorder known as Borderline Personality Disorder or BPD. When symptoms of BDD are prominent in BPD, then it is usually regarded as an additional problem to the personality disorder.
Similarly, individuals with BDD have been shown to scrutinize details of others' appearance in addition to their own5, and an eye-tracking study showed that participants with BDD had more fixations and longer dwell time on the least attractive areas of others' faces, particularly areas corresponding to areas of primary ...
BDD is commonly considered to be an obsessivecompulsive spectrum disorder, based on similarities it has with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and insecurity are two different things. The former is a commonly misunderstood condition, while the latter is a feeling many people experience from time to time. Insecurity is part of having body dysmorphia, but it's not a clinical diagnosis like it.
BDD has both psychotic and nonpsychotic variants, which are classified as separate disorders in DSM-IV (delusional disorder and a somatoform disorder).
Body image issues, disordered eating, and poor self-esteem are all common in people with bipolar disorder. Many bipolar disorder medications can cause weight gain, which might also worsen body image for some. If you're living with a body image issue or an eating disorder, you can find help.
To put in simpler terms, a person with gender dysphoria is not mentally ill; they are dissatisfied with the gender assigned at their birth. A person with body dysmorphia has a disorder in which they perceive their body or face as “ugly,” “fat,” or otherwise unattractive despite medical or personal reassurances.
Individuals with BDD can receive an additional diagnosis of delusional disorder—somatic type, if their preoccupation with an imagined defect in appearance is held with a delusional intensity. Approximately 50% of patients with BDD meet the criteria in DSM-IV for a delusional disorder, somatic type.
It is important to note that people with BDD look "normal" to other people. In other words, the perceived appearance flaws are, in reality, minimal or nonexistent. However, the person with BDD usually doesn't realize this.
Psychotic symptoms in BDD. The primary psychotic feature of BDD is the delusional conviction with which the core belief about appearance may be held. Despite appearing normal, patients typically think that they look ugly, deformed, or disfigured in some way.
BDD is most likely to start in your teens or early adult years. People usually develop BDD around 12 or 13 years old. Two-thirds of people with BDD develop it before age 18. However, BDD can also start in adulthood.
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a prevalent and often destructive mental illness that is often strongly associated with unresolved trauma.
Myth: Body dysmorphic disorder dissipates in adulthood.
Often in older adults and elderly populations, people with BDD continue to struggle with the condition, it simply morphs into different areas. As older people struggle with BDD, the aging process can be triggering for additional self-criticism.
A brain network analysis of white matter connectivity in individuals with BDD compared to healthy controls discovered that across the brain, individual regions were more highly connected with other local brain regions44. Also, those with more severe BDD symptoms had lower efficiency of brain connections.
BDD has similarities to other conditions
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) – characterised by recurring unwanted thoughts and images (obsessions) and repetitive rituals (compulsions). As people with BDD are obsessively preoccupied with an aspect of their appearance, it has been proposed that BDD may be a form of OCD.
There are two subtypes of BDD: Muscle Dysmorphia and BDD by Proxy. Both of these subtypes appear to respond to the same basic treatment strategies as BDD (cognitive behavior therapy or CBT and medications). However, the CBT therapist in particular needs to adjust the treatment so that it has the right focus.
Body Dysmorphia Symptoms
Comparing your body part to others. Constantly asking for reassurance that the defect is not visible or too obvious. Not believing others when they say you look fine. Repeatedly measuring or touching the body part.