Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), formerly known as dysmorphophobia, is characterized by a preoccupation of one or more perceived defects and or flaws in one’s physical appearance. These defects and or flaws are either not observable to others or appear slightly to other’s. This disorder is also characterized by repetitive behaviors and mental acts as a response to their beliefs on their personal appearance. These behaviors can include but are not limited to mirror checking, excessive grooming, skin picking, and comparing ones appearance to others. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM–5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013), those with this disorder have concerns on their physical appearance ranging from “looking unattractive, not right, to looking hideous or like a monster”. The most common concerns those with this disorder have are obsessions about their skin, hair, or nose; however it is not limited to these specifications of the body. Any part of the body can be of concern to an individual such as eyes, teeth, breasts, legs, lips, etc. These preoccupations are time consuming, intrusive, unwanted, and are generally difficult for the individual to control or even resist.
Age of onset for BDD is typically most common around the ages of twelve to thirteen, with the mean age of sixteen and seventeen, and a median age of onset at fifteen years old as stated in the DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). This disorder is a chronic lifetime disorder affecting children and adolescents over the world. According to the DSM-5, both males and females are equally affected by this disorder (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).). However, it appears that the only difference between...
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.... Exposure and response prevention in the treatment of body dysmorphic disorder: A case series.
Pragmatic Case Studies in Psychotherapy, 8(4), 255-287. http://pcsp.libraries.rutgers.edu Krebs, G., Turner, C., Heyman, I., & Mataix-Cols, D. (2012). Cognitive Behaviour therapy for adolescents with body dysmorphic disorder: A case Series. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 40, 452- 461. DOI:10.1017/S1352465812000100
Phillips, K.A. (2000). Body dysmorphic disorder: Diagnostic controversies and treatment challenges. Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic, 64(1), 18-35.
Phillips, K.A., & Rogers, J. (2011). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for youth with body dysmorphic disorder: Current status and future directions. Child Adolescent
Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 20, 287-304. DOI: 10.1016/j.chc.2011.01.004
416). It is easy to see how a person suffering from these biological abnormalities would exhibit the symptoms of BPD. The psychodynamic approach to understanding BPD cites need that are not met in childhood. In this theory, the caregiver is inconsistent. This inconsistency results in the child not being able to feel secure in the relationship (Boag, 2014). Children who are unable to develop secure relationships are taught that they cannot rely on people, and are therefore insecure in their interpersonal relationships. Cognitive theorists see personality disorders as developing from adaptive behaviors that they have formed that are considered over or underdeveloped in general society (Sampson, McCubbin, and Tyrer, 2006). In this theory people with BPD develop adaptive behaviors, often to inconsistent behaviors of parents (Reinecke & Ehrenreich, 2005). These adaptive behaviors are considered maladaptive, because they work to counteract the inconsistent behaviors of the caregiver, but do not work when the person tries to use them in their everyday life. In the humanistic model, psychologists maintain that people have an ingrained desire to self-actualize (Comer, 2014, p. 53). Children who are not shown unconditional love, develop “conditions of worth” (Comer, 2014, p. 53). These children do not develop accurate senses of themselves; therefore, they are unable to establish identities. Due to their lack of personal identity, they learn to base their self-worth on others. In socio-cultural theorists argue that BPD is due to a rapidly changing culture (Comer, 2014, p. 418). The change in culture leads to a loss of support systems. These support systems help to counteract many of the symptoms of BPD: little or no sense of self, anxiety, and emptiness. Many of these theories relate back to the experiences of people in their childhood. Children develop based on the treatment and security they receive from their caregivers. When there is inconsistent reliability, children
Bipolar disorder can strike at any age but most commonly strikes at age 18 in bipolar I; for bipolar II disorder, the age is 22 (Durand and Barlow 189). It has also been found that children can be seen with bipolar disorder early on. This is not very prevalent, and is only one in every 200 cases. This is thought to occur because many children with manic depression might have been misdiagnosed or just thought of as hyperactive and disruptive. The early symptoms of childhood bipolar disorder, distractibility, irritability, and hyperactivity are also the signs of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)(Harvard Mental Health Letter, March 1997). It is mainly for this reason that many cases might be misdiagnosed as ADHD and the prevalence of bipolar disorder in children could be much higher.
Body image has primarily been a problem for females. Recently, however, this view has opened up and has been seen in males. While women fixate on looking thin and slim, men’s obsessions are on the opposite spectrum, where guys want to be big, thick, and muscular. First known as "reverse anorexia", and now properly called muscle dysmorphia this obsessive compulsive disorder makes individuals believe that they are small and muscularly undeveloped and meanwhile they are moderately or highly muscular. This disorder is mostly seen in males and is rather unhealthy because it raises potential for self-esteem issues, steroid abuse, anti-social attitude, stress, over-meticulous diets and workout plans, and in worst case scenarios, suicide. In our society ideal body image for males has been put up to an impossible pedestal and the examples for the perfect physique are worsened by media causing this disorder to grow even further.
Derenne, Jennifer L., and Eugene V. Beresin. "Body Image, Media, and Eating Disorders." Academic Psychiatry 30. June (2006): 257-61. Web. 23 Mar. 2011.
Shapiro, C. M. (2012). Eating disorders: Causes, diagnosis, and treatments [Ebrary version]. Retrieved from http://libproxy.utdallas.edu/login?url=http://site.ebrary.com/lib/utdallas/Doc?id=10683384&ppg=3
According to the textbook, the term Gender Dysphoria means “biological sex and gender identity do not match, thus leading to distress and impairment” (Chapter 8, pg.279). The textbook also discusses how “children with Gender Dysphoria is apparent in repeated statements that the child wants to be the opposite sex or is the opposite sex; cross-dressing in clothing stereotypical of the other sex and how the child has persistent fantasies of being the opposite sex such as; pretend play or activities associated with the opposite sex” (Chapter 8, pg. 279). However; the textbook also mentions how “people with gender dysphoria have persisted discomfort with their own sex” (Chapter 8, pg. 279).
People now a days have a problem with the way they appear. For hundreds of years, people, especially females, have been concerned with their weight, the way they look, and the way people perceive them. In the article, Do You Have a Body Image Problem? author Dr. Katharine A. Phillips discusses the concerns with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). Dr. Phillips uses her knowledge or ethics to discuss the effects that BDD has on people today. She also uses emotion to show the reader how people are seriously affected by this disorder. In Dr. Phillips article, she discusses how people are emotionally and socially affected by the body dysmorphic disorder, and how society is also affected by it.
Derenne, J. L., & Beresin, E. V. (2006). Body image, media, and eating disorders. Academic Psychiatry, 30(3), 257-61. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.waketech.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/196508089?accountid=15152
An eating disorder is characterized when eating, exercise and body image become an obsession that preoccupies someone’s life. There are a variety of eating disorders that can affect a person and are associated with different characteristics and causes. Most cases can be linked to low self esteem and an attempt to, “deal with underlying psychological issues through an unhealthy relationship with food” (“Eating Disorders and Adolescence,” 2013). Eating disorders typically develop during adolescence or early adulthood, with females being most vulner...
Muise, A. M., Stein, D. G., and Arbess, G. (2003). Eating disorders in adolescent boys: A review of the adolescent and young adult literature. Journal of adolescent Health, 33, 427-435.
Derenne, J. L., & Beresin, E. V. (2006). Body image, media, and eating disorders. Academic Psychiatry, 30(3), 257-261.
A study titled “Prevalence of BDD” talks about body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), where it says that BDD affects “1.7% to 2.4% of the general population — about 1 in 50 people". This number could be higher since many people are reluctant to unveil
If you have a physical feature that you’ve spent years wishing were different or that has a recognizable impact on your daily life or health, this is usually an indication that it is something you truly desire to change, as opposed to a sudden dislike for something about yourself that recently became an issue. However, obsession over a specific facial or body feature can indicate mental health issues, and therapy might be a better option than surgery. Cosmetic surgery is one of the easiest ways to enhance someone’s appearance. Some people have the surgery to correct “a small nose” or “big breasts”. Fixing their teeth may also affect their activities.
A case study found that Chris, a sixteen year old male, suffering from BDD displayed both classical and operant conditioning. He grew up in a family that stressed physical appearance, which was a modeled behavior. At sixteen, Chris broke his nose playing and after the following surgery, he became very anxious about his nose and its appearance. This eventually caused him to retreat from society (Neziroglu & Mancusi, 2012). This study explored both the classical and operant conditioning involved with the development of Chris’s BDD, and later how to help Chris unlearn the behaviors. Neziroglu and Mancusi (2012) report that, “After Chris’s surgery, he began to feel differently about his appearance. The change in his appearance (broken nose), the pain and discomfort from the surgery became associated with disgust and anxiety. His nose then became associated with these negative mood states” (p. 152). The authors explain that this is a form of classical conditioning, in which over time the associations that Chris made from his appearance and pain from the surgery became linked with disgust. This behavior was created by long term emphasis placed on appearance; therefore, when that appearance changed the disorder developed in response to this new stimuli. Chris also experienced operant conditioning via negative reinforcement due to feelings of shame
Body shaming manifests in many different ways. It comes about by criticizing your own appearance, through a judgment or comparison to another person, criticizing another’s appearance in front of them, and criticizing another’s appearance without their knowledge. No matter how it manifests, it leads to comparison and hurt feelings, and perpetuates the idea that people should be judged mainly for their physical features.