- Worry a lot about your appearance?
- Spend large amounts of time repeatedly checking your appearance, or trying to cover up or change aspects of your appearance?
- Avoid situations and activities because of your appearance worries?
What is Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)?
Most people worry about their appearance from time-to-time, but for some people appearance concerns dominate their life. Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) involves preoccupying concerns about appearance that cause a lot of distress and/or get in the way of day-to-day activities. Often people with BDD worry most about facial features, such as their skin, hair, or nose. However, appearance concerns in BDD can relate to any body part and often relate to more than one body part. Sometimes people with BDD say that their appearance worries are general, not specific, such as a general feeling of being unattractive.
BDD usually also involves time-consuming repetitive behaviours, such as:
- checking appearance (e.g. in mirrors or other reflective surfaces),
- concealing aspects of appearance (e.g. with clothing or makeup) or
- trying to change aspects of appearance (e.g. with cosmetic products and procedures).
- comparing appearance to other people (e.g. on social media)
Some people with BDD also feel compelled to pull their hair or pick their skin in an attempt to improve their appearance. For details on habit problems, please click here.