Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Nursing Research Paper Body Dysmorphic Disorder or “Imagined Ugliness” is a mental disorder that is chronic with . This disorder mainly affects the individual by amplifying a minor flaw or defect to the person. So much so that they spend hours upon hours wondering if they should isolate themselves indoors or going outside at the risk someone might look upon their flaw. The individuals affected by BDD see themselves as ugly or unattractive, some even try to improve their appearance through plastic surgery often not satisfied with the results. Behavior is paranoid to the point that they obsessively look in the mirror for any flaws. Most of the areas in an individual's body with BDD are skin imperfections, hair, facial features, and body weight. The specific cause of BDD is unknown, but contributing factors include chemical and structural brain differences, genes, and the environment. Chemical differences may occur due to malfunctioning neurotransmitters that are liked to mood, such as serotonin and epinephrine. Structural brain differences might be a result of a congenital defect or improper/under development of the brain. Genetics come into play as well, links have been made with those who have a history of family members with the disorder; which means that there at a disposition to have the disorder. The environment has a profound affect on the contribution to the development of BDD. During childhood massive bullying may have lead to a low self-esteem which in turn caused the flaw to appear more and more unattractive to the individual. BDD is hard to diagnose many patients are ashamed to reveal anything regarding the perceived defect or flaw. A diagnosing by question of BDD can reflected by its DSM-IV criteria and is as follows 1.Are you very worried about your appearance in any way? (OR: Are you unhappy with how you look?) If yes: what is your concern?
2.Does this concern preoccupy you? That is, do you think about it a lot and wish you