Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)

by Jami Schadler
At the age of 15, I developed an eating disorder and have struggled with it for 25 years. This past year I found my strength to finally beat this disease. During the last 25 years, I suffered in silence because the resources were just not out there.
Surgery can be lifesaving. Surgery is often needed and can, for many conditions and situations, be a game changer. But more often than not, a surgical procedure for someone with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) will not help. It could potentially relieve the person of their symptoms for a short amount of time but it cannot treat or cure the underlying disorder.
There can be confusion when differentiating between body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and eating disorders (EDs). They both involve pre-occupying appearance-related thoughts and repetitive behaviours, but are treated differently.
The pandemic set a new era into motion. When the world went into lockdown in 2020, people learned to fear the outside and any social interaction, becoming extremely fearful of contracting the deadly virus.
by Clayton Echard
Bachelor Clayton Echard shares his experience with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), a mental health condition that involves obsessively focusing on a real or perceived flaw in one’s physical appearance to a point where it interferes with daily life. If you suffer from BDD, you can find information and resources at ADAA.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder is an unhealthy preoccupation with not just the look, shape, or feel of one’s body or a specific part, but the shame one experiences in the appearance of their body, or a certain aspect of it, really hits the mark. BDD is a chronic condition that can be debilitating and can disrupt various aspects of the person’s day-to-day life for years.
Body Dysmorphia, Body Dysmorphic Disorder Webinar (BDD)
January 14, 2022
Scott Granet, LCSW and
What is Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)? It’s a disorder of great distress about one’s physical appearance, with tormenting obsessions and compulsions.
In BDD, people are tormented by obsessive thoughts associated with a part or parts of their physical appearance being flawed in some way, yet these flaws tend not to be noticeable to anyone but themselves.