Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Obsessing about appearances and how the media contributes
Body Image and Beauty
To me, body image and beauty go hand in hand. If you have a positive body image and view yourself in a positive light, then you will be beautiful because you will feel beautiful. Beauty isn't necessarily an image, it's an attitude- how you carry yourself.
Body Shapes
Every single person has a different body shape. We are all unique, we all have weight that we carry heavily or not at all in some areas, and that's okay. We should not judge people based on their outward appearances, but on their actions and how they contribute to our society in a good way.
10 facts about Body Dysmorphic Disorder
- BDD was first documented in 1886 by a man named Morselli. He originally named the disorder "Dysmorphia".
- BDD was not recognized as a disorder by the American Psychiatric Association until 1987.
- BDD is closely associated with OCD, as sufferers experience a compulsion to look in the mirror for hours on end.
- In severe cases, some sufferers will cut off all contact with the outside world in order to stay home and think about their body.
- Sufferers of BDD truly believe that they are so unspeakably hideous that they should not interact with others or function normally.
- Research has found that one-third of BDD sufferers think about their appearace for 1-3 hours a day, and about 40 % think about their appearance for 3-8 hours a day.
- BDD sufferers experience obsession with grooming.
- Many people with BDD also exhibit eating disordered behavior with excessive exercise and restricted eating.
- Some people with BDD realize that they have a disorder, but others refuse to acknowledge that they are mentally inhibited, and refuse to get better.
- Many people with BDD attempt suicide in an effort to escape their constant self-consciousness.
Advice for improving body image in oneself
- Put down the mirrors or stop looking in them and obsessing about your flaws. We all have them, there is no reason to focus on them constantly.
- Tell yourself positive things when you are feeling down. It seems childish and useless, but it's not.
- Focus on what you like about your body or focus on bettering the things you can change about yourself- like how you treat others or your work ethic.
- Base your opinions of others on what they say and do, not on how they look or how you wish you could be more like them.
- Exercise for the joy of doing it and for the endorphins produced in the process. It will make you feel better about yourself, as long as you do not let it become an obsession.