#shawleveryday2019 Day 64

Body dysmorphic disorder is a body-image disorder characterized by persistent and intrusive preoccupations with an imagined or slight defect in one's appearance. These negative thoughts may cause the person to obsessively try to fix or hide their flaws and avoid social interactions.  It is more related to obsessive compulsive disorder and social anxiety, rather than eating disorders. A person with BDD may spend hours a day thinking about their perceived flaws and it can greatly impact their daily life.

BDD usually starts in adolescence and affects men and women equally.  Causes are unclear, but related factors are genetic predisposition, differences in brain structure or neurochemistry, and environmental variables such as trauma or negative social evaluations.

Typical symptoms include:

• Being extremely preoccupied with a perceived flaw in appearance that to others can't be seen or appears minor
• Strong belief that you have a defect in your appearance that makes you ugly or deformed
• Engaging in behaviors aimed at fixing or hiding the perceived flaw that are difficult to resist or control, such as frequently checking the mirror, grooming or skin picking
• Constantly comparing your appearance with others
• Avoiding social situations
• Being so preoccupied with appearance that it causes major distress or problems in your social life, work, school or other areas of functioning

Treatment is often a combination of medication (often antidepressants) and therapy (likely cognitive behavioral therapy/CBT). You can learn more by visiting these various resources:

• Mayo Clinic - Body Dysmorphic Disorder
• Anxiety and Depression Association of America - Body Dysmorphic Disorder
• Psycom - Body Dysmorphic Disorder
• WebMD - Body Dysmorphic Disorder
• Wikipedia - Body Dysmorphic Disorder

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