BODY DYSMORPHIC DISORDER (BDD)
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is an anxiety disorder that causes a person to experience excessive worries and anxiety about one or several aspects of their physical appearance. BDD affects approximately one in every 50 people. While a person of any age or gender can have BDD, it is most common in teenage and young adult women.
People with BDD:
- become preoccupied with minimal or nonexistent flaws in their appearance
- the most common areas of fixation include skin, hair, nose, chin and teeth
- believe these areas their body are deformed, asymmetrical, disproportional and ugly
- spend several hours a day thinking about the area or areas of concern
- experience clinically significant distress/impairment due to preoccupation with appearance
Before seeing Taylor, I was struggling with OCD behavior, compulsive exercise, and learning how to cope with my past in a healthy way. He was very patient, understanding, and non-judgmental, which allowed me to uncover problems that were essentially being pushed aside. I used to get uncomfortable and self-conscious about discussing certain things that happened when I was younger, but the environment that he creates is very welcoming and I felt at ease when memories came to mind. He also asked me…