Body Dysmorphic Disorder isn't Just "Feeling Fat"

[michellebrown48]

People can look at themselves in the mirror and see an ugly, skinny skeleton when in reality they are muscular and buff. Then they would proceed to lift weights in self-hatred.

Someone could see a massive fat blob in the mirror when in reality, they are really hot, or really skinny, or really..not fat.

BDD is different for everyone.

1. Obsession

"Preoccupation" doesn't cut it. You're anxious about your appearance at all times. When getting changed, when walking down the street, when looking at photos, when seeing an attractive person, whenever someone is looking your way, and whenever and surface with reflection catches your eye. Mirrors, windows, metal, water, anything. Obsessive thoughts invade your mind at any given opportunity. Concentration is on a task for about two minutes before thoughts stray back to listing all the reasons why you should loathe yourself.

2. Delusions

The nature of BDD is delusional itself, meaning it’s difficult to separate reality from the falsehoods your brain makes you believe.

The reflection one sees in the mirror is different from what other people see.

The people you notice in public who stare and laugh at you actually are not.

3. Individual Characteristics

BDD causes one to obsess over specific body parts. For example, a bodybuilder with BDD could constantly stare at his arms and think 'oh god, they are so fucking skinny. Where is the muscle I work so hard for?? I need to lift heavier weights."

The thoughts about his biceps could manifest his brain all day, every day.

4. Extreme Desire to Change Appearance

Whether it's by working out, starving, eating, cosmetic surgery, or makeup, someone with BDD will have the incessant desire to change their 'flaws.'

The thought of "self-correction" is greatly appealing, but the problems that actually need fixing reside in a place much deeper than love handles and ears that stick out.

5. Depression

BDD is not vanity. It is quite the opposite. And it leads to depression, anxiety, and eating disorders in many cases.

The constant worrying about your appearance and hatred for yourself is clearly not helping one's mental stability. Being petrified if your thighs touch or if you're slightly bloated every single day, all day, is the building block for more serious mental illnesses.

Luckily, society is becoming more open to mental illness, despite the few who aren't, and I hope that those suffering from BDD receive help.

[gym4ever]

Thats true and its fact you can't change, im 16y/o lets say bodybuilder and im trying to get bigger by eating a lot, even if im at least 5days in week in gym i find my self so ugly&fat when i see guys on juice its just big down for my body , and can't change that fact i will always think how i look bad even if my parents ask me to put shirt of and show to family my muscles while we are in video call haha
I think there is no way to change your thinking, i was trying to not care about it but still i have very wide lats&back and just like little fat at stomach ( abs are visible), its not even fat its totally normal and i can't look at my self and say its normal when my mind think its not even if it is.

[LittleSally]

Definitely true. It's rough. Any mental disorder, illness or disturbance is terrible. It's something very hard to control and it takes over your life at one point of another if you let it. The strong ones - that have a lot to live for - will get out of it with the help of their loved ones. (Hopefully even those who are alone in it can find strength to help themselves...)

Very nice article!

[LittleSally]

Thank you for the mho!

[c_hurley16]

I deeply believe there's a reverse form of BDD where overweight people might see themselves skinnier than they actually are. I've done intensive research on this matter and sadly couldn't come up with anything, but i'm still convinced it exists because it happened to me. All my life i've struggled with weight, since first grade, when bullies would call me fat even when i was not, but i still believed it and over the years i took no care of my body whatsoever. Over the years i'd stress over my hideous legs and my fat arms, let myself go even more, then go back over old pictures and realize i wasn't even fat to begin with! So regular BDD. Until two years ago when, somehow, i started to slim down a bit. I let it get to my head and spent the following year thinking i was finally on a nice place. Then last summer, as i went to visit a friend who i hadn't seen in a while, i suddenly realized i was BIG. In fact, the heaviest i've been in my life. I wondered how could i let this happen? Why have i been fooling myself into believing my body looks one way when it doesn't?

Needless to say, i joined the gym as soon as i got back home. Four months after results are starting to show, yet i refuse to acknowledge them myself as i'm too scared to revert to this weird BDD that makes me believe i'm skinnier than i actually am. Today my trainer commented on my apparent "rapid" weight loss and i felt a little relieved the mirror wasn't lying this time.

[bellybuttonlint]

Let me just say this... and I've said it a few times before.

There are two solutions to BDD: either accept who you are or change who you are. There is no in between.

I know someone who went underwent counseling about a certain procedure being done and what not. Therapy couldn't help her. She underwent the surgery and now, 20 years later and 2 kids later she hasn't looked back and does not regret it one iota.

I'm not advocating surgery, and I used to be against it in all cases except for accidents and deformities but seeing how it changed her life made me rethink (not that I would have anything done on myself) surgery and how people use it to empower themselves.

Yes, one should always accept themselves first if it is just a simple cosmetic "flaw", but I know we only live once.

Besides, most dental work is not needed and tattoos permanently alter our appearance as well. As long as they are willing to feel better about themselves and don't harm anyone else, I think people can do whatever they want to feel better.

[Kkaos]

I don't believe in mental illness because the term 'illness' suggests it's something unusual. Everyone has a mental illness to a certain degree, what used to be considered normal is now made into something weird and strange by people who are only interested in taking your money for 'treatment'.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder? I'd struggle to find anyone who didn't have a mild form of that. Almost everyone has insecurities with regards to their body and would like to change some things, so how do we measure when it becomes a 'disorder' exactly? I'd say we shouldn't, we should address the root causes of the issues that effect EVERYONE.

[Jenima]

When you're overweight but you stare at the mirror and cannot see nothing but a skinny person, trust me, that is already an illness. Few people reach that level.

[VaIiant]

Sooo people with PTSD, MPD, bipolar disorder... it’s all fake? They don’t have it whatsoever?

[Kkaos]

@VaIiant It's not a disorder, it's a natural element of the mind that many many people are capable of developing, in fact probably everyone if exposed to the right conditions. If you actually read what I said, you wouldn't have to ask that question.

[Kkaos]

@Jenima How do you know few people reach that level?

[VaIiant]

Uhh... MPD and bipolar disorders are definitely disorders. Regular people do not have those.

[VaIiant]

I read what you said, but some people are just BORN with them.

[Kkaos]

@VaIiant What is a regular person? There is no such thing. You cannot possibly tell me that a so called 'regular person', couldn't possibly show symptoms of bipolar under the right conditions.

[VaIiant]

Symptoms, maybe. But diagnosed? No. MPD, definitely not. Schizophrenia, definitely not.
A ‘regular person’ is perhaps the incorrect term, but more of a person who doesn’t suffer from such disorders.

[Kkaos]

@VaIiant Being 'diagnosed' with respect to mental illness means nothing, all it is is some psychiatrist telling you have some condition. I could go straight to a psychiatrist right now, tell them how I'm upset and they'd instantly diagnose me with 'depression'. It's meaningless.

Schizophrenia is a very different thing, it's a biochemical disorder in the brain. It's not in the same bracket as bipolar, split personality, PTSD etc.. Which anyone can have to varying degrees.

[VaIiant]

That’s really untrue... they wouldn’t diagnose you with depression... do you actually have any idea how a diagnosis works?

[michellebrown48]

@VaIiant you're right. I know a diagnosis works nothing like that. Or else everyone would be diagnosed and it would be meaningless.

[Kkaos]

@VaIiant Ok, so how does a diagnosis work then?

[VaIiant]

They run numerous tests and procedures— for the more serious disorders, there’s lab tests and brain scans, because it’s literally been medically proven people with major disorders have a slightly different brain then us. They don’t just go “oh you have this and here you have this because you feel weird”.

[Kkaos]

@VaIiant No, I was talking about depression. That's not a 'more serious disorder', you'll find what I said was completely true. There are no 'scans' run in order to diagnose someone with depression. People are diagnosed with depression depending on what they answer to specific questions. That's how it works.

I talked about how people with schizophrenia have a chemical disruption in the brain, so that's true and certain other psychotic disorders definitely also effect the brain make up and will be shown in scans.

However PTSD, MPD, Anxiety, Depression? Nope. Not at all. These types of things are natural characteristics of the human brain that can occur in anyone to varying degrees.

[Jenima]

Therefore, depending on the degree it can be an illness or not.

[VaIiant]

You just changed your entire stance. You said you don’t believe mental Illnesses/disorders exist, INCLUDING bipolar.
“I don’t believe in mental illness”
Your first sentence ^^.

[Kkaos]

@Jenima And like I said, how can you measure the degree? An illness is either an illness or it's not. If I have 'mild bipolar' it's still bipolar.

[Kkaos]

@VaIiant I don't see how I've changed my stance at all. I don't believe in mental illnesses. That's what I've always said. Psychotic disorders exist, but they're not just your standard 'mental illness' there's far more factors involved.

[michellebrown48]

depression CAN be a more serious disorder. Even though depression is the most common mental illness, that doesn't make it any less serious.
AND the term 'illness' does not suggest it is something unusual. Everyone in the world gets a cold every once in a while. That's an illness. 20% of people in the US have an std which makes it pretty not 'unusual'. They are still illnesses.
Having a mild amount of BDD means you don't have BDD. There is a specific criterion for diagnosis. Similarly, people who are anxious sometimes don't all have anxiety. Or else everyone would have every mental illness. There must be a certain degree of severity.

[Kkaos]

@michellebrown48 Is this you being serious or is this you just trolling for attention like you claim you do? Nothing you say can be trusted when you do crap like that, however I'll give you the benefit of the doubt in this case.

A cold is a known and understood condition. So is an STD. A 'mental illness' such as depression? Nope. You yourself just said there's no specific criteria for a diagnosis, well guess what, there is very specific criteria for the diagnosis of a cold or any other physiological illness.

Depression is an inherent aspect of the human mind that ANYONE can succumb to based on experiences and if not managed correctly.

[michellebrown48]

lmao what? I did not say "there's no specific criteria for a diagnosis"
Please reread my comment. I said the opposite.

[Kkaos]

Sorry, I misread. So what's the specific criteria then?

[michellebrown48]

there are different levels of depression. but some examples are:
Dysphoria – Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day
Anhedonia – Markedly diminished interest or pleasure most of the day, nearly every day
Significant appetite or weight change
Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day
Psychomotor agitation or retardation (observable by others)
Anergia – Fatigue nearly every day
Thoughts of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt nearly every day
Impaired concentration or memory nearly every day
Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempt
-(for diagnosis) At least one of the symptoms includes dysphoria or anhedonia
-The symptoms cause clinically significant distress of psychosocial impairment
-The symptoms are not due to the physiologic effects of a substance, medication, or general medical condition

[Kkaos]

Yes and it goes right back to my original point. I can easily go straight to a psychiatrist right now, tell them I've been experiencing that and they'll diagnose me. As all things, of course there are certain levels. However can you possible say that anyone couldn't fall into those categories given the right experiences? Nope; therefore making it an inherent aspect of the human mind.

I have a horse who shows symptoms of depression. Will the vet diagnose him with depression? Nope, but it's clear to see. Living beings normal mental processes are disrupted by certain things, sometimes to a more severe level than others and while it's obviously not desirable, it certainly doesn't mean it's an 'illness' in the same way that a disease is an illness, it's just how the brain naturally copes with things.

[michellebrown48]

"what if, what if, what if"
Say that to anything, but it doesn't make it wrong. Of course there will never be 100% accuracy. Of COURSE you could just go and lie to get diagnosed. You call schitzophrenia an illness but depression not, right? Anyone could go into a doctors office and claim that they hear and see things

[michellebrown48]

Depression is not a moral weakness. Some people are more susceptible than others even before they are born, there's genetic and molecular proof. You have to cope with whatever genes and childhood you inherited, yeah, but it's not a level playing field.
Also, the brains of people with depression are different. There's studies showing a change in brain shape that appears to be associated with severe mood disorders. Certain parts of the brain shrink.
antidepressants can stop and even reverse the brain shrinkage seen in major depressive disorder.
SO mental diseases aren't just real because doctors can diagnose them and patients can say they feel them, but also because we can actually see changes in the brain

[Kkaos]

Depression is a natural part of life. I doubt there is anyone who hasn't been depressed at least some point in their life and if they haven't I could just as easily say THEY have an illness.

Schizophrenia is far more involved, it's a biochemical disorder in the brain. I could tell someone that I'm seeing things, that alone won't get me diagnosed with schizophrenia, you're completely wrong about that. A schizophrenia diagnosis can also include multiple tests, blood tests, MRIs etc etc.

Depression alters the size of the brain? I find that VERY hard to believe. However if you can provide substantial evidence for that, I'll take a look.

[Jenima]

@Kkaos Say you have a friend who use to do very well some time ago. Now, he walks naked in the street, he eats garbage all day, he talks about a lot of things people don't understand, he doesn't recognize anyone, he laughs with no apparent reason. What would you call that.
Another example. You have a woman who is skinny but when she looks at the mirror she SEES fat everywhere on her body and she hates it. She starves herself and the more she gets skinny, the more she actually SEES herself fat. She refuses to eat and she begins to look like a walking skeleton, yet, she continues to sée herself as fat. How would you call that?
Or you have your grand-mother. One of her son left without saying goodbye. For an unknown reason she thinks the whole family has orchestrated his death. She's convinced of that but she has seen no corpse, no blood, nobody has ever threatened to kill him. She stays convinced of that until her own death. What is that?

[Kkaos]

@Jenima First scenario: He's has some kind of mental breakdown and I'd be first looking at what might have caused that. The symptoms you mentioned sound like someone who has engaged in heavy drug use. Obviously that's not always the case, but I'd be trying to work out potential courses first.

Second scenario: Extremely insecure, poor understanding of nutrition and dieting. Insecurity manifests in many ways. Often when we're insecure we think we're worse than we actually are, if it's not controlled it can become extreme.. Which is what you would call your 'BDD'.

Third scenario: Given she would be in her senior years and the situation in which you described, that sounds like a classic case of dementia. Very often dementia can lead to symptoms of paranoia which you described.

[Kkaos]

@Jenima Quick question for you. Do you believe transgender people have a disorder? If not, why is it a disorder if I perceive myself to be fatter than I am, however it's not a disorder if I perceive myself to be a different gender than I am?

[Jenima]

All what you describe is exactly what is called mental illness which means being ill mentally. That's what you don't want to understand.
"He's has some kind of mental breakdown"
Having a mental breakdown is something common but you won't take off your clothes and eat garbage because of that. When somebody reaches that stage, he is ILL. Even if it were due to drug consumption, it doesn't change the fact that he is ill.

[Jenima]

Second scenario: "Extremely insecure, poor understanding of nutrition and dieting" Not everyone whith those symptoms can be a skeleton but continue to actually SEE (I don't use capital letters for nothing. I lean what they truly SEE) theirselves as fat. That is an extreme situation.

[Jenima]

And with your question concerning transgenders, we are talking about things that specialists themselves acknowledge as illnesses. Even if transgenders are no longer considered by some psychologues as ill, it is undeniably a disorder. That's what I think. But we are not here to talk about what I think but what is officially recognized as illnesses.

[Kkaos]

@Jenima I don't care what's said 'officially', that means nothing to me. Psychiatrists will coin anything if they think it will make you keep coming back to them for treatment.

Fact is you still can't determine exactly when someone becomes 'ill' when you're talking about the mind. And like I said, it would entirely depend on the causes. There's big difference between a natural condition and brain damage due to drug use.

I don't care if it's an extreme situation. I can have a small malignant tumor or I can have full blown cancer to the degree that I can't walk. It's still cancer. The cause is the same thing. Often people just become obsessive, same as any addiction. Addicted to losing weight, addicted to gambling etc.

[VaIiant]

It’s not just “obsessive”. You’re claiming PTSD isn’t real, which honestly is ridiculously disrespectful. Two main causes of PTSD are war trauma and rape. Those are not “obsessive”.

[Jenima]

@Kkaos "Fact is you still can't determine exactly when someone becomes 'ill' when you're talking about the mind."
When somebody begins to walk naked and eat putrescent rubish and doesn't recognize their own children, I can determine they are ill.
"I can have a small malignant tumor or I can have full blown cancer to the degree that I can't walk. It's still cancer."
Small=small big=big. What's your point with this sentence? The two are not treated the same way.

[michellebrown48]

@Jenima just let it go. nothing he says adds up and he's struggling to refute us, make new arguments, or confirm his own

[Jenima]

@michellebrown48 You're right.

[UnaKaizen]

well yeah thats capitalism. people are reduced to commodities. of course of image is going to be adversely affected. but its not as if its an innate flaw of a persons individual brain coming from their organic matter. under capitalism you're constantly shifting from treating yourself as an object to treating others that way, unless you're consciously reject doing that. but you can't really reject something just by saying i reject it. i dont think thats powerful enough. youd have to actively fight against it or have some aim that takes precedence over personal measurement. so most people are stuck hating themselves or others. trying to gain power or rob someone else of theirs. unless you have a non narcissistic.

[birdsandflies]

^^very accurate in my opinion

[Anonymous]

omg! this was incredibly helpful!! My entire elementary/highschool years, I was completely delusional, not just about my body but in general, I always saw things that weren't actually real. I finally snapped out of it only a few months ago and it genuinely feels like I'm in living an entirely different life, the biggest relief i've ever felt. This delusion shit had my entire life in disorder, I kept thinking it was depression or something and after YEARS i never really knew how to explain what I felt and no one understood me!! i recently opened up to my parents and a close friend for the first time and I could tell they had no idea what I was talking about... this actually really helped thank you!

[SebShaw82]

I hear what you're saying but are you next going to tell us the Pope is a Catholic? Gregg Valentino is a great example of body dysmorphia as he always thought he was too skinny despite looking in really good shape before he took steroids among other things.
Perhaps I'm naive but I thought BDD was well known not to be limited to feeling fat? The term dysmorphia alone should imply that it's a failure to see your true form.

[Anonymous]

Frivolous anorexic.
Profile pics are me. I don't sext, don't ask.
I often write myTakes on things I don't actually believe in just to argue with people. Now you know.

^^^^^^Keep in mind people that this is directly from the mytake writers profile.

she's a troll

[MyGenderIsAlien]

I hope you're right! I've been suffering from this for years and everyones telling me that surgery will make it worse but I don't believe them. I feel like, if I could just look the way I want to, then I won't have to want anymore. I feel like in the future, it will be so easy to look how you want and making people feel bad for knowing they didn't win the genetic lottery will be a thing of the past.

[Kkaos]

How pathetic..

[VaIiant]

@Kkaos Agreed. Bitchy thing to do...

[Opinion Owner]

yeah, well, that explains the mytake writer for ya. she's a bitch

[michellebrown48]

alright, first of all, notice the word OFTEN. not always. i do believe in this, more than anything. secondly, why would it even matter? does it change my words? no.

[Opinion Owner]

yes, of course it does. you basically say you're on here to argue, that means troll

[michellebrown48]

think whatever you wanna think

[GiovanniGentile]

Great Take! I think you really hit all the nails in the head regarding BDD.
I used to suffer from BDD, I used to think I was too skinny
No matter how muscular I got, and how much weight I put on.

This is much better than the slut take you wrote.

[VaIiant]

Read the posters profile. She’s a troll.

[michellebrown48]

@VaIiant lol fuck you, im not

[GiovanniGentile]

@VaIiant I am not so sure about that. Haha I am pretty gullible though

[GiovanniGentile]

Michelle is this true? Are you trolling?
I really liked your article on Climate change too.

[VaIiant]

When your profile bio is that you like creating MyTakes to troll, you can’t get upset when people who’ve read it doubt you.

[GiovanniGentile]

@VaIiant Haha wow thanks for the heads up! She really trolled me with that article about "Sluts" lol!
Good work Michelle!! haha it really worked!

[disgustingweebtrash]

Interesting myTake

[Josht13]

interesting comment

[disgustingweebtrash]

@Josht13 Thank you

[DanFlingwing]

great take

[Anonymous]

Good one