FoxInTheSnow

New

Posted on 10/21/09, 09:12 pm

Hi everyone. I just joined this site tonight, and primarily because of this BDD group. I have always been shy, and it was not until about a year ago that I really found out about BDD, and only about half a year since my official diagnosis. I used to look in the mirror obsessively, but now I am at the point where I cannot even look in the mirror for more than a couple seconds or I get a huge wave of overwhelming thoughts. This is such a pain to go through, and trying to not let it run your life, but I am glad there are others out there who can relate. Look forward to talking to you.

• Reply #1 10/25/09  2:00pm
  
  Spiky
  hello, foxinthesnow. is your handle based on your avatar photo? it is also the name of one of my favorite songs.
  
  i think a lot of people have trouble understanding how debilitating this condition is. i can't bear for people to see what i look like, and leave the house as rarely as possible. it limits my activities a great deal. it's easier to go out with other people, but i live with my boyfriend in a new town as of this year and have no other friends at my disposal. when i try to explain this to people, and i can sense in many cases that i'm being silently labeled as self-pitying and whiny.
  
  when i was younger, i hid behind outrageous clothes, colored hair, gothic makeup, basically sending the message that i wasn't trying to meet society's conventional standards of appearance. it was pretty effective at the time; in fact it was very liberating. there were other factors that caused people to single me out for unwanted attention; i was in a lesbian relationship with a butch woman, but overall it seemed to work.
  
  unfortunately, i'm too old to do that now, in fact the age factor doesn't help matters with my appearance either, on top of which i've gained weight so i have far fewer clothing options. now, when i leave my home i cope by basically avoiding eye contact with other people as much as possible, and trying to occupy my thoughts with my own personal business. how do you manage to function in public or in social situations? do you use therapy or medication? if so, what kind?

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a mental disorder in which the affected person is excessively concerned about and preoccupied by an imagined or minor defect in his or her physical features. The sufferer may complain of several specific features or a single feature, or a vague feature or general appearance, causing psychological distress that impairs important functioning (e.g. occupational or self-care) or social aspects of life.