I have Body Dysmorphic Disorder AMA

[BodyDys]

I was diagnosed with Body Dysmorphic Disorder in my twenties (now in my forties).
I think there are a lot of misconceptions around it so I thought I’d do an AMA if anyone is interested.
I will be here on and off all day and will try to answer any questions when I can.
Have been on MN around ten years but have name changed for this for obvious reasons.

I think officially it is the same as most other mental illnesses- a combination of genetics and life experiences.
There is some new research that suggests it might actually be connected to neurodivergence that seems credible.

Thanks for your thread @BodyDys.

Have you had any support and/or therapy for Body Dysmorphia? If so, what helped the most (or was unhelpful)?

what makes the obsession over an area of your body worse? General stress and/or specific behavioural responses such as physical checking of your body, doing research, seeking reassurance, for example?

Have you come across Professor David Veale’s work on BDD?

edited for spelling!

I had CBT and Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy in my late twenties.
It was very helpful in that it helped me to understand why I feel and behave like I do. I use some of the techniques etc that I learned and it does help but honestly, nowhere near as much as I would have hoped.
I didn’t have any access to follow up care after the therapy either unfortunately.
I also suffer from depression and general anxiety so I find when that gets worse or I go through a period of extreme stress, the BDD also gets worse and I lose the ability to use objective insight. I am more likely to believe in the negative intrusive thoughts and less able to resist the compulsions.
I get triggered by looking at photographs of myself or places with lots of mirrors. I can’t bring myself to go to the hairdresser for example. Those things really set me off. Occasions like a family wedding for example are the worst.
It’s in photos that I will often find a new focus.

I haven’t come across any of his work. Thanks so much for the recommendation.

It’s a real tough one @BodyDys so thanks for your honesty about your struggles. David Veale is a consultant Psychiatrist at The Maudsley in London with a special interest in BDD, OCD, emetophobia and health anxiety which so often are co-morbid. He’s also interested in the treatment of depression. He’s also a really nice man! Here’s a link which may be a helpful rabbit hole https://bddfoundation.org/prof-veale/

@YouOKHun
I just wanted to add, the thing that has helped improve my self esteem and body image most has been having my daughter.
She is very like me in looks and somehow that has made me like my own features more. Becoming a parent has been very challenging but it has sort of helped re-wire my brain in ways. I am a bit kinder to myself and more realistic in my expectations of myself as a result.
In the past few years I have pulled back a lot from my parents and set boundaries with them and I think that has helped a lot too as a lot of my self criticism comes from them and they really trigger me.
I think parenthood suits me in a weird way because I am more than happy to let dc take centre stage.
Getting to middle age has helped too. There is so much less focus and pressure on looking a certain way at this stage of life. That’s a massive relief too.

Thank you so much. I will look that up x