Body dysmorphic disorder

What is actually the Body dysmorphic disorder meant for?

You may not be familiar with this term. Then let’s have a quick view over it. The term Body dysmorphic disorder refers to a specific type of mental illness which involves belief that the appearance of a specific person is unusually defective in reality, the perceived flaw might be non-existent or if it exists then it is totally negligible, unnoticeable or its significance is highly over exaggerated. This disease is also known as dysmorphic syndrome or body dysmorphia. Sometime the thoughts of negative body images is intrusive for some people who are acutely affected by this disorder though how many times the thought will be come is determined by the severity of the disease. The common thought by the patient includes such phrases like ‘should I wear this?’, ‘what will others think?’ etc.

Signs and Symptoms of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD):

1. One of the most important symptoms of this disease is occurring of obsession which might present one or more body parts varies accordingly to the severity of the disorder.
2. Face, thigh, feet or heap is the most common body parts where obsession occurs usually. Physicians sometimes classified BDD as one of the specific type of OCD.
3. Patients always try to fix the flaws by adopting certain specific behaviours such as making modification of the eating, constantly applying re-make up even in certain severe cases it is reported they do cosmetic surgery also.
4. The patients always compare their own body with the peoples present in their surroundings such as friends, co-workers, family members etc.
5. Some depressive behaviour may also be seen in their body such as they are reluctant to attend any formal occasion or parties too.
6. Mirror syndrome is also reported as one of the most important outcome of this disorder. Being affected by the mirror syndrome one always tries to catch sight of one’s appearance in the mirror or other reflective surfaces.
7. Self-injury as well as self-esteemed issues may be found in the patients who are suffering from this disorder.
8. BDD with eating disorder includes dehydration, inflammation as well as frequent fainting & chapped lips with poor hair & skin condition may be appeared in the body of the patient within short period.
9. In the BDD with self-injury the tendency to hurt own self is found in all the patients.

Preventions:

What are the preventive measures which need to be taken to get rid of this disease? The main treatment of this disease includes psychotherapy as well as positive body image reinforcement. It is recently reported that the symptoms of the BDD gets lesser if any close bond develops with a non-relative person of opposite sex such as best friend, future spouse etc. Sometime anti-depressant medicines like Zoloft & Cymbalta may be used to reduce the depression. Family environment should be modified to reduce the symptoms of this disorder.