Our world can be so fucked up. Often I deal with people who are so negative about their bodies I wonder how they got there. Nature vs. nurture. Do we come with a distorted sense of our bodies or is it somehow programmed into us during a dysfunctional childhood. Well guess what? There's an actual diagnosis for people who have completely fucked up ideas about their appearance and it's called body dysmorphic disorder.
I can easily count on my fingers and toes how many people I know who undoubtedly have varying degrees of B.D.D. And I wonder, what is the cure? Do we actually have control over a completely screwed sense of our appearance or is it really a sickness we can never rid ourselves of? And does calling it an psychological illness only make things worse? For example the thinking could go something like, "Guess what I have B.D.D. and it's not something I have control over so I don't have to work on changing my thinking about my body".
The official definition of B.D.D. is:
"Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a mental disorder that involves a disturbed body image. It is generally diagnosed in those who are extremely critical of their physique or self-image, despite the fact there may be no noticeable disfigurement or defect".
In extreme cases of B.D.D. someone might think they are so unspeakably hideous that they can't interact with others very well or function normally for fear of ridicule and humiliation at their appearance. Apparently, B.D.D. is often misunderstood as a vanity driven obsession, whereas it is quite the opposite; people with BDD believe themselves to be irrevocably ugly or defective.
B.D.D. can also manifest in obsessive compulsive behaviours like constant mirror checking or mirror avoidance and thinking about appearance for more than one hour a day. People with B.D.D. normally have chronicallly low self-esteem because they believe their appearance is the foundation of their self-worth.
I can't tell you how many times I've heard people talk about what is a completely normal sized body in a negative way. And there's nothing I can say that would make these people believe otherwise.
All I can say is, if you think there might even be a chance you have B.D.D. maybe it's time to go talk to someone who can help you re-focus and re-program your thinking so you don't waste anymore precious time living on the dark-side of life. I personally believe B.D.D. might be more about subliminating anxiety and depression about other things that are completely messed up about your life in an effort to avoid changing what really should be fixed. But I"m not a doc so take what I say with a grain of salt which I'm sure you all will anyway.
Oh and the first person to guess who this is a picture of, wins a free book and ball. Just drop me an email at janeclapp@urbanfitt.com.
www.urbanfitt.com
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