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What is body dysmorphia?

166 Answers
Last Updated: 09/15/2023 at 5:48am
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Top Rated Answers
positiveForever73
August 9th, 2018 11:09pm
Not seeing yourself the way you should. You see and feel differently about yourself than what is true.
Izzyssunshine
August 10th, 2018 2:20am
Body dysmorphic disorder is a mental disorder in which you can't stop thinking about one or more perceived defects or flaws in your appearance — a flaw that, to others, is either minor or not observable. But you may feel so ashamed and anxious that you may avoid many social situations.
rialistening
August 12th, 2018 7:58pm
Body dysmorphia is when you are no longer able to visualise how you look because your self image has become warped.
Anonymous
August 16th, 2018 7:14pm
Body Dysmorphia is when you do not feel like you are the body you were born in, and you want to be the person you have dreamed of becoming. You feel as if you are trapped, and you want nothing more than to get out of your outside self and be who you want to be, which is the you that you hold inside of your body. A lot of people describe this as being transgender, but I believe it's more than that. It's wanting to be someone you were destined to be when you just weren't born with that body.
Anonymous
August 17th, 2018 9:51am
Body dismorophia is a mental distortion of the body's size or reality. In ability of seeing the true size versus the reflected size. It is a fake image. Very sad to see this as it can effect people in different ways as they then lack self value or worth as they over eat, exercise or the other way of excessive eating and non activity. These people have a self loathing normally due to childhood trauma or insecurities. This can I turn make them feel unloveable and lack self worth. They then go on to be full of self doubt and not be able to function on a realistic expected level in life.
Anonymous
September 2nd, 2018 2:25am
Body dysmorphia disorder is a mental illness in which a person obsesses over their appearance. People with this illness may spend hours a day trying to fix a minor or imagined flaw on their body. People with body dysmorphia disorder may also spend excessive time comparing their looks to others, avoid going out or taking pictures due to their misconceptions about how they look. It cannot be self diagnosed and usually occurs along with major depression or anxiety. BDD can be treated with cognitive behavioral therapy and/or medication and it is a common illness (about 200,000 cases in the US)
Anonymous
September 12th, 2018 9:15pm
A distinct mental disorder in which a person is preoccupied with an imagined physical defect or a minor defect that others often cannot see . Sometimes Transgender people feel this or something similar to it called body disphoria .
Hameidolol
September 19th, 2018 10:33pm
Body dysmorphia is a disorder in which the individual have a false negative perception of their own body shape, or does not accept their tiny imperfections. It can cause so much distress in daily life activities, may lead to depression, social withdrawal, anorexia, and may be associated with other mental health problems. The support of the family, friends, and many other forms of psychotherapy can be useful for managing such condition. In severe debilitating cases - when the individual is so distressed that he can not look after himself, medications, or even hospitalization might be necessary. Body dysmorphia is a prevalent disorder that each individual must learn about, spread the awareness to other people, and support those who might have such disorder.
Mitel
September 30th, 2018 11:12am
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a distinct mental disorder in which a person is preoccupied with an imagined physical defect or a minor defect that others often cannot see. As a result, people with this disorder see themselves as "ugly" and often avoid social exposure or turn to plastic surgery to try to improve their appearance. BDD shares some features with eating disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder. BDD is similar to eating disorders in that both involve a concern with body image. BDD is a chronic (long-term) disorder that affects men and women equally. It usually begins during the teen years or early adulthood.
Anonymous
September 30th, 2018 10:22pm
Body dysphoria is when a person feels as if their body doesn't fit their mind, or the gender their mind feels they are. An example of this would be if you feel like a man, but your body is the body of a woman. This is when someone would be transgender, to try to get their body to fit their mind. Another example of body dysphoria is when someone feels gender-neutral (otherwise known as non-binary) but they have the body of a man. They feel like they should have a gender-neutral body, but they are still stuck in the body of a man.
Anonymous
October 11th, 2018 2:08pm
Body dysmorphia is when you see your physical body in your head as something completely different than what you see in the mirror. And it can be so amazingly hard to deal with. It can happen to anyone with absolutely any type of physical change that is made. I actually have body dysmorphia on quite a few days --it doesn't happen all the time for me thankfully. I lost over 120 lbs through diet and exercise, going from a size 28 to a size 10/12 depending on cut and make of the pants and a lot of times when I look in the mirror I still see the old me. And it's not really something that a general person can help you with because, obviously, they can't see the you that you see in your mind. It's scary and painful. The only way you can help yourself really is to look into the mirror and tell yourself you are not the "incorrect" image of yourself, the one full of faults and fears, that you see in your head.
Anonymous
December 6th, 2018 5:55pm
Body dysmorphia is like seeing yourself different from other people. You may think you are for an example bigger than you are (your weight) or you might think you have too small eyes when in reality it's not true I've also heard how some people actually see themselves smaller when it comes to weight. It can make one very anxious and wanting to hide that part of your body. Like for me i don't think I'm even a little pretty and I feel like my eyes are so tiny and my body looks so huge i try to not go outside as much or wear baggy dark color clothing often but when I tell my friends I feel this way they completely disagree with me and i don't understand that but why would they lie?
Sweetlistener98
December 15th, 2018 10:47am
Body dysmorphia is a fear that comes from an unreal vision of your own body and appearance, caused by an excessive concern for your image. It can be increased by the comparison with other people. The person affected takes others as an example to follow, even if it is an unreachable goal, because of the fact that everybody is different and has got unique features. Moreover, this condition is often not supported by real evidence, but who suffers from it cannot see the truth, like if he/she has got a default image of him/herself in the brain and if it is not treated properly, it can lead to death.
Anonymous
January 5th, 2019 6:51pm
Body dysmorphia (BDD) a mental disordrer, where the person suffering see themselves as severly flawed, even when it isn't true. These flaws are only imagined or when the flaw is actually real, it is very exaggerated. The thought of this imagined/exaggerated flaw takes possesion of the victims mind, just like eg. depression does. It is often present by anorexia and bulimia. These people see themselves as fat, even after they are already badly underweight. There is a opposite disorder to anorexia, where the victim percieves their body as too small. The victiim of BDD often compares their flaw and avoids showing it (for example, anorexics can wear clothes that hide their body). BDD also hasy high rates of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts. It affects men and women.
CornMonkey
February 3rd, 2019 10:13am
Body dysmorphia, in short, is when somebody sees their body differently from how other people see their body. Somebody with body dysmorphia may see themselves as much heavier than other people see them, like I have, or they may see themselves at much lighter than other people see them. For example, somebody who has body dysmorphia may think their thighs are much too big while others mat not think that at all. On the other hand, somebody that has body dysmorphia may feel that their wrists and arms are much skinnier than they actually are. This can lead to poor body image or even eating disorders.
professionalcallie23
March 23rd, 2019 3:57am
Body dysmorphia is a mental illness, that causes you to see a distorted version, or flaw of yourself. It can cause people to believe that there is something wrong with them, even though that’s not the case. Humans are very beautiful in every sense of the word. If you are having problems with your self esteem, or the way you are viewing yourself it would be best to talk with a professional in your area who can better diagnose you, and give you methods that can help you cope! I hope that this answer helped you, and you can come to me if you have any other questions!
Anonymous
March 23rd, 2019 8:46am
Body Dysmorphia is when you are preoccupied by focusing on a part of your body that you are not satisfied with and preoccupied with ways that you can change that part. For example, you may be preoccupied with the thought that your thighs are too big so you may focus on that aspect of your body, you may continuously look at that body feature and may think of ways to change it. It is also when you have poor body image and are constantly preoccupied with thoughts surrounding your body image that it may impact on concentration or on your daily life.
GentleLlama
March 30th, 2019 8:01pm
Body dysmorphia is a focus on a part of someone's body they may feel insecure about. It could be anything from toes to elbows! It's a perceived flaw the person may have about themselves. It could be something very extreme in their mine or minor. Sometimes people have insecurities about themselves that no one can see. Other people may not even know they are insecure! If someone has body dysmorphia it could be because they'd prefer to a look a different way than they do. Everyone's body is different and beautiful in its own way. Everyone is built differently and that's what makes the world such a diverse awesome place!
Anonymous
April 4th, 2019 3:48pm
Body dysmorphia is when you see your body differently to how it is in reality. For example, when you look in the mirror you see yourself as incredibly overweight or incredibly underweight, when in reality you arent. Of corse this applies to more than just weight, it could be height, a certain body part exaggerated etc. Body dysphoria is commonly associated with eating disorders however that isn’t the only place it can be found, there is more to it than just weight. Some further examples could be, nose size, leg length, thigh gaps and of corse there is a lot more!
IamblessedSue
May 3rd, 2019 2:55am
Body dysmorphia is seeing a part of your body as unfit. In eating disorders people my focus on one part of their body like their stomach or their arms or legs and they may engage in self-harm or have an eating disorder because they believe that part of their body is unfit. People with body dysmorphia may try to change that one part of their body by intensive exercise or plastic surgery as well. Helping a person who believes their body is defective can be a difficult challenge. People with eating disorders such as anorexia may also feel they have to cover certain parts of they body from others.
Jess266
May 8th, 2019 10:30am
Body dysmorphia refers to when an individual has distorted views on their own appearance. Often the individual will take drastic measures to mask the distorted idea of body flaws that they may hold. Body dysmorphia is a mental disorder. Individuals often hold flaws of themselves which are not observable or in fact very minor. Symptoms can include excessive hair plucking, avoiding social situations, frequently looking in the mirror, refusing to appear in pictures, wearing excessive makeup, avoiding mirrors all together and appearing very self conscious. It’s not known specifically what causes body dysmorphic disorder. Some evidence suggests that naturally occurring brain chemicals called neurotransmitters, in particular serotonin, which is linked to mood, may play a role in causing body dysmorphia.
Anonymous
May 23rd, 2019 9:27pm
body dysmorphia, in my experience, is where my perception of my body doesn't match how it actually looks. i've struggled with body dysmorphia and disordered eating for a while now, and i used to fixate on my "problem" areas, or areas of my body that i particularly hated. after a few years, i started to realize that maybe my perception of these problem areas wasn't as accurate as i thought it was, but the thing about body dysmorphia is that it clouds your vision. i literally didn't know what my body truly looked like because my vision of it was so distorted by my body dysmorphia. so, to sum up, body dysmorphia is where you have a flawed perception of your body, and it often negatively impacts you.
15Kenzi
June 30th, 2019 5:54am
(A mental illness involving obsessive focus on a perceived flaw in appearance.) Body dysmorphic disorder is a mental disorder in which you can't stop thinking about one or more perceived defects or flaws in your appearance — a flaw that, to others, is either minor or not observable The flaw may be minor or imagined. But the person may spend hours a day trying to fix it. The person may try many cosmetic procedures or exercise to excess. People with this disorder may frequently examine their appearance in a mirror, constantly compare their appearance with that of others, and avoid social situations or photos. Treatment may include counseling and antidepressant medication.
crazyathlete89
July 6th, 2019 2:54am
Body dysmorphia is when you feel uncomfortable in your own skin. For example, your stomach might "feel" fat. You might be self-conscious that you are too skinny or that you are "fat". You may not like your body or feel like you were meant to be born in a different one. Body dysmorphia feels like parts of the body feeling wrong. It basically means you don't like your body and that it is not what society idealizes it to be. People try so hard to fit in and judge their self worth on what their body looks like. And then it makes them feel uncomfortable,do body checks, restrict calories, etc.
Anonymous
July 26th, 2019 1:57pm
Body dysmorphic disorder is when someone might focus on certain features of theirs that others would not usually see anything wrong with. For example, one might focus on their nose for example, continuously focusing on it. This May (in some cases) cause anxiety, and it may make it hard for the sufferer to go out places in some cases. I find (though of course this doesn’t apply to everyone) that high school students, those surrounded by social media, and judge mental people, may be more prone to conditions such as body dysmorphic disorder. Know that no matter what you might think, or what others might think, you are beautiful.
courageousPeace95
August 11th, 2019 6:57pm
Body dysmorphia is a mental health condition that affect some people and makes them struggle with their body image. People can struggle with real problems of their body, or can think that they have problems (although there is any). This mental health condition can affect the daily-life, for example, people tend to avoid social meetings or try to cover their body with larger clothes or with makeup,... In my personal opinion, some of these problems that people tend to see on themselves are related to the way society them to create the "perfect body image". The struggle is real, and if you know someone with that condition, please, help them
Anonymous
August 29th, 2019 7:53pm
Body dysmorphic disorder is a mental disorder in which you can't stop thinking about one or more perceived defects or flaws in your appearance — a flaw that, to others, is either minor or not observable. But you may feel so ashamed and anxious that you may avoid many social situations.-https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/body-dysmorphic-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20353938 treatments Cognitive behavioral therapy Common causes : abuse or bullying. low self-esteem. fear of being alone or isolated. perfectionism or competing with others. genetics. depression, anxiety or OCD. Cognitive behavioral therapy has been found to be the most effective at treating BDD and a certain type of antidepressants have also been shown to help individuals coping with the disorder
autumnjoy37
September 20th, 2019 9:21pm
Body dysmorphia, for me, meant not seeing the same person in the mirror that my friends saw. It means focusing only on the flaws, whether or not they are really there. Or obsessing over flaws that nobody else would notice. It sometimes felt as though my body did not belong to me. Just by existing in my own skin, I was uncomfortable. It made getting dressed in the morning, going to the gym, exercising, and even putting on makeup nearly unbearable. I had to learn to fall back in love with my body and everything it could do for me!
notarandomperson
October 12th, 2019 1:19pm
Body dysmorphia is simply a obsessive disorder where an individual feels quite discontent or unhappy with their body by obsessing over a flaw (or a few) and comparing themselves with others through pictures or social media. It's actually quite common, and while it's more common with females, it also is a problem with some males. Most times it's caused by abusive pasts, bullying, depression or low self-esteem. This might cause the individual to isolate themselves and avoid social gatherings. If ignored, it can escalate to depression, eating disorders and suicidal tendencies. While there is no cure, one can reach out for professional help to recover and reduce feelings of inadequacy.
peacefulLight8704
October 17th, 2019 1:29am
Body dysmorphia can take a bunch of different forms in different people, but basically, it is a disorder where you are hyperfocused on certain small or imaginary flaws, or you blow certain parts out of proportion. Body dysmorphic disorder is related to Obsessive compulsive disorder. If you believe you have this, you should definitely talk to a school counselor, a psychiatrist, or a therapist, as this can be an extremely emotionally, socially, and physically taxing disorder of the mind. A ton of consequences could arise from it, so please, please talk to someone and reach out! People care :)