Body Dysmorphic Disorder: Symptoms, Treatment & More

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a psychiatric disorder in which people become obsessed with a slight imperfection or nonexistent body “flaw.” People may commonly refer to this as body dysmorphia. BDD goes beyond occasionally noticing things in the mirror — it’s a fixation that interferes with your daily life.Typically, other people can’t even see the “flaw” that the person with BDD notices. No matter how often people assure them they look fine or that there’s no flaw, the person with BDD may be unable to accept that the issue doesn’t exist.Symptoms of BDDThe primary symptom of BDD is a negative preoccupation with one or more parts of your physical appearance. This may mean that you consistently compare your perceived defect to others and find it hard to concentrate on other things. This can also lead to anxiety in social situations.BDD can lead to the development of several other symptoms, including:low self-esteemavoiding social situationsproblems concentrating at work or schoolrepe...