Edirot: Lydia Mylonaki
Psychologist

Translation: Karouzou Roula

The psychiatric term Body Dysmorphic Disorder describes the dysfunctional occupation with reportedly deficits as well as defects on someone’s outward appearance. It is possible to affect both men and women, and the most common starting age of the disease is 13 years.  Basic symptom of the disorder is that people who are suffering tend to extremely occupy  themselves with their appearance. The patients tend to check out their appearance continuously, while they try to mask the problems they detect.  Very often these people grow to do aesthetic plastic surgeries in order to improve their appearance and reduce their negative feelings. These particular patients are very fiddly cases because in reality the detects that they find on themselves is a result of the disorder and not a fact. Despite of nothing abnormal in their appearance, these patients experience huge stress which intervene significantly on their social ability and functionality.

The cause of the beginning of Body Dysmorphic Disorder is unknown, because, although the big number of people who suffer from the disease, the investigation that has be done is minor about its justification. The little exist findings shows off that the disorder maybe is due to child abuse, intimidation and harassment. The disorder’s symptoms may focus on varied body parts with the majority of incidents focusing on the nose, the face skin and hair.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder belongs to the gamut of Obsessive Compulsive Disorders because it is connected with unenviable thoughts and impulsions about the body’s appearance that permeate patient’s daily life. Moreover is very frequent phenomenon these disorders coincide with other diagnoses and most of all with this off the melancholia and anxiety disorders. Besides Body Dysmorphic Disorder is possible to be developed with food intake disorders.

More specifically, Body Dysmorphic Disorder’s symptoms almost always are connected with melancholia’s without being always so intense so the person go seek for help and medical treatment at the proper time. When there is comorbidity of symptoms, the experts of mental health should acknowledge if there is one single problem or more in order to provide the most effective treatment. The connection that may exist between the two disorders may be very complicated and there for is very essential to became understandable in order to be given the shoutable help. At this point it is worth mentioning that the discomfort that provokes this particular disease leads, every year,  1 from 330 patients, in suicide.

Moreover Body Dysmorphic Disorder has been linked to the social stress and the fear that the person will be negatively judged by those around him. This idea is evoked most of all by the person’s anxieties about his appearance. The distorted image the person believe about his body as well as the low self esteem can also be related with food intake disorders.  Τhere is Differential diagnosis between the two disorders when the person develops symptoms of anorexia or bulimia when at the same time being permanently occupied with the hypothetical detects on his appearance.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder is a very dangerous situation which is possible to lead even to death through suicide. According to mental health experts in order the person to be healed is necessary the use of Cognitive Behavioural treatment  plus antidepressant medication.

At the end, the quest of help may be proved mercy and very helpful. Therefore as they advise people who suffer from the Disorder, ” I am still in the trouble spot  hating my face and my body. Although the more you come to know about the disorder the more you can help yourself”

References

Neziroglu  F, Khemlani – Patel S. A review of cognitive and behavioural  Treatment for body dysmorphic disorder. CNS Spectrums 2002; 7 : 464-71.

Phillips KA. Quality of life for patients with body dysmorphic disorder . J Nerv Ment Dis 2000; 188:170-5.

Phillips KA. Grant J, Siniscalchi J, et al. Surgical and non psychiatric medical treatment of patients with body dysmorphic disorder. Psychosomatics 2001; 42:504-10.

Veale D. Outcome of cosmetic surgery and “DIY” surgery in patients with body dysmorphic disorder. Psychiatr Bull 2000;24:218-21.

Veale DM, Lambrou C. The importance of aesthetics in body dysmorphic disorder. CNS Spectrums 2002;7:429-31.

Veale D, De Haro L, Lambrou C. Cosmetic rhinoplasty in body dysmorphic disorder. Br J Plast Surg  2003;56:546-51.