I suffer from severe body dismorphic disorder....?

Question

hey this is my worst nightmare but its true...is suffer from this really killer disorder...
iknow that i am good looking but my mind doent let me believe it....i just hate it...i cant live like this...it make me wanna die evryday...i cant even step out sometimes....what should i do?
pls help me....

Answer 1

You know what your problem is, so you've taken the first step. Now you should look for a good doctor. The treatment for BDD is a combination of medication and counseling. Don't be afraid to try different doctors and different meds. You may have to look for a while before you find ones that help you. But please do look for help. You can start with your regular doctor and ask them for a referral and or prescription. Or ask your friends if any of them knows a cognitive behavioral psychotherapist that they could recommend.

Answer 2

The Mayo Clinic and wikipedia articles for BDD says the best treatment is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.

wikipedia says....

CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) coupled with exposure therapy has been shown effective in the treatment of BDD. Low levels or insufficient use of serotonin in the brain has been implicated with the disorder and so SSRI drugs are commonly and with some success used in the treatment of Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Drug treatment will sometimes also include the use of an anxyolitic.

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Don't worry too much about the next paragraph in wikipedia where it says its often a chronic condition lasting a long time. It is treatable.

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SSRI drugs are a type of anti-depressent to lift your mood. The main affect though comes from the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. A therapist will work with you to examine your beliefs.

In any situation in life, your feelings and re-actions and the actions you take and the way you behave, doesn't come directly from the situation, it comes from your 'beliefs' about what the situation 'means' to you personally.

For example, 2 people could see a large dog. One person believes the dogs are friendly, is relaxed and happy to see it. The other person believes dogs bite (based on some past trauma or frightening stories from other people), is really nervous and frightened and may even run away. Same situation, 2 different beliefs, 2 different feelings.

A therapist trained in CBT can work with you and teach you CBT techniques to re-evaluate your beliefs, write down your feelings and chain-of-reasoning that you use to reach conclusions, that gave rise to a partiucular belief about your body.

You both can then see whether there are any 'errors' or 'things unsupported by evidence/facts', see whether you can right down a different, more realistic chain-of-reasoning to reach different conclusions and whether this changes you beliefs and feelings about your body, self-worth, whether people like you, etc.

Eventually you can do this on your own and feel better in any situation, with similar beliefs about your body to anyone else.

You may think that is just more people 'telling you not to feel the way you feel' or 'don't feel this way, feel that way', but its not. Its a step-by-step way to re-evaluate your beliefs and perhaps change your feelings that way. Any change is under your control and is due to 'realisation' of how distorted some of your thoughts about your body and chain-of-reasoning to reach conclusions may have become over the years.

If you can't afford a therapist, you can at least read about the technique. There are books on Amazon.com about CBT in general or for various conditions, like BDD, depression, phobias, etc.

To find a therapist specialisaing in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, ask your family doctor or search online.

Answer 3

Young girls especally obsess over looks. It is not as important as you think. There is so much peer pressure (especally in school) to be attractive. You say that you are good looking, which is great, but remember that God makes beautiful people in all shapes and sizes. Looks will only take you so far. We all get old. There are millions of "heavy" or "ugly" women out there who have wonderful love lives, rewarding careers, many friends, and fullfilling lives. I'm just trying to help, but you should see a psychologist, preferably a woman.

Answer 4

Yeah... once you've clinically determined melancholy you should be seeing a PSYCHIATRIST... not a psychologist. Psychiatrists really flow to medical college and may prescribe you drugs. melancholy is brought about with information from chemical substances levels being off on your mind. you're precise maximum psychologists are jokes. however, psychologists who study in behavioral technology are better. they are lean better in direction of technology than thoughts. I really have 2 bachelor levels, one in psychology and one in biology. My psychology degree compromised of training that were complete of three-4 demanding actual technology of the mind classes.. something changed into about thoughts and relating. it truly is largely purely useful in case you've lived with wolves your entire like. you shouldn't be seeing a psychologist for a medical situation. improve.