Body Dysmorphic Disorder Analysis

Body dysmorphic disorder or (BDD) is a body-image disorder in which those affected are consistently and obsessively preoccupied with an illusory or small defect in one’s own appearance (Varma & Rostogi, 2015). These defects or perceived defects might cause the afflicted to fixate on their arms, face, nose, stomach, or other afflicted body part. People with BDD are constantly worried about what other’s think of their appearance and go to great lengths to hide it from the public. Those affected might believe that these aspects of their physical appearance are misshapen, too big or too small. To attempt to correct the problem, people with BDD might not come out of their homes, pick their skin, workout compulsively, or resort to plastic surgery
The disorder affects women and girls more than it influences men and boys but only slightly so (Varma & Rostogi, 2015). Girls and women with the disorder are often obsessed that they are too fat while boys and men with BDD believe that they are too skinny. One third of the men that have BDD are diagnosed with muscle dysmorphia (Phillips, 2009). This very common form of body dysmorphic disorder in which men and boys obsess over the lack of muscle tone and presence in their bodies. Those with extreme cases muscle dysmorphia spend many hours a week at the gym, dieting, or excessively working out attempting to build muscle. While they may be extremely muscular already, men with this type of BDD often resort to using protein powders and steroids to become more muscular. They may even forgo going to work or spending time with family in order to work out. Muscle dysmorphia and other kinds of BDD are often present along with an eating disorder such as an anorexia or an anxiety disorder such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (Varma & Rostogi, 2015). If not treated, the disorder that is often present through adolescence can become a lifelong problem leading to depression and
Two thirds of with BDD obsess the most over their skin. The usual fixation is that their face is scarred or is infested with acne. Other frequent concerns include skin color in which people fixate on their skin being too light, too dark, or too red. Women, in particular, obsess over the tightness of their skin, consistently checking the mirror and touching their faces to ruminate over possible wrinkles or expanding pores. With regard to fixations over facial features, 60% of BDD patients obsessed with their facial features have some sort of obsession with their nose. Like the aforementioned wolfman, they are constantly concerned that it is too big, that it is misshapened, that it is too bumpy,