Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a recognized delusional anxiety condition where attractive people believe they are hideously ugly. Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a psychiatric condition that causes sufferers to obsess about an imagined or small defect in their appearance.

Around one per cent of the population suffer from this disorder. The disorder usually starts in adolescence, when people are most sensitive about their appearance. It is like an ‘emotional cancer' because it will eat oneself up.

The list of symptoms, which includes:
1) Constantly checking your appearance and focusing on just one area of the face
2) Sufferers commonly avoid social situations in a bid to prevent people seeing their ‘flaws’
3) Seek medical help for their imagined defects.

Your GP can help. Treatment for BDD may include antidepressant medication, cognitive behavioural therapy or a combination of both.

For more information, visit Thebddfoundation.org OR http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_dysmorphic_disorder.