According to the charity Body Dysmorphic Disorder Foundation at least 2 percent of people in the U.K. suffer from the condition. Actor Robert Pattinson recently revealed that he is one of them.
“I get a ton of anxiety, right up until the second I get out of the car to the event, when suddenly it completely dissipates,” Pattinson told Australia’s Sunday Style magazine. “But up until that moment I’m a nut case. Body dysmorphia, overall tremendous anxiety.”
Body Dysmorphia (BDD) is an obsessive anxiety disorder, which is characterised by the individual’s preoccupation with flaws in his or her appearance which are unnoticeable to others. BDD often causes extreme distress and shame and can lead to depression, which may be exacerbated by the fact that sufferers often feel misunderstood and socially isolated.
Sufferers have a tendency to analyse their appearance repeatedly, trying to mask or alter what they perceive as flaws by any possible means including unnecessary cosmetic treatments.
More:15 Quotes for any woman who hates her body
The BDD Foundation has released a new video, directed by Steve Caplin, to raise awareness of the condition. On May 30 the charity is holding its first ever public conference for BDD sufferers and their families. For more information visit its website.
Video credit: BDD Foundation/YouTube
BDD is a recognised, treatable clinical condition. Get help here.
More on body image
What my daughter’s favourite body part taught me about self-love
Feminists don bikinis to show Protein World they already have “Beach Bodies”
Loving my body is a battle but I will win it without thinspiration
Leave a Comment