What is BDD?

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a mental health disorder which centres around severe distress or dissatisfaction with one or more aspects of a person's appearance. People with BDD perceive that they have a "defect" (or sometimes multiple defects) in their appearance--something about their appearance that they believe to be very unattractive. They usually find that a great deal of their time is consumed by thoughts and worries about their supposed defects. Most people with BDD also spend a lot of time trying to cover up or hide their "defects". Many get "stuck" in front of mirrors, sometimes for hours at a time, while they inspect their "defects" and ruminate about them and how unhappy they are with their appearance. Other behaviours that people with BDD often struggle with include repeatedly seeking reassurance from friends and family members about their appearance, posturing their bodies (i.e. sitting or standing in certain ways) so as to try minimise the noticeability of their "defects", wearing certain items of clothing or wearing clothing in a certain way to hide their supposed defects, spending a great deal of time applying and re-applying makeup to ensure that it looks perfect and covers any supposed defects in just the right way, and comparing their body parts/features of concern to those of other people.


Our colleagues at St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne have compiled a useful booklet with more information for people with BDD, available here.