Body Dysmorphic Disorder A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions

By Kenneth Kee

This book describes Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases
While most people have parts of their body they feel less than passionate about, body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a psychiatric disorder in which people become obsessed with a slight imperfection or nonexistent body “flaw.”
It goes beyond just looking in the mirror and not liking the nose or being annoyed by the size of the thighs.
Instead, it is a fixation that interferes with the daily life.
Typically, other people cannot even see the flaw that the person with BDD is consumed by.
No matter how many times people assure them they look fine or that there is no flaw, the person with BDD cannot accept that the issue does not exist.
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a definite mental disorder in which a person is anxious with an imagined physical defect or a minor defect that others often cannot see.
As a result, people with this disorder see themselves as "ugly" and often avoid social exposure or turn to plastic surgery to try to improve their appearance.
BDD has similar features with eating disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder in that all involve a concern with body image.
BDD is a long-term (chronic) disorder that involves men and women equally.
It normally begins during the teen years or early adulthood.
The most frequent areas of worry for people with BDD are:
1. Skin imperfections: These include wrinkles, scars, acne, and blemishes.
2. Hair: This might be head or body hair or absence of hair.
3. Facial features: Very often this involves the nose or the shape and size of any facial feature.
4. Body weight: Sufferers may obsess about their weight or muscle tone.
Other areas of concern are the size of the penis, breasts, thighs, buttocks, muscles, and the presence of certain body odors.
Causes
Doctors are not sure what causes BDD.
One theory indicates the disorder causes a problem with the size or functioning of certain brain areas that process information about body appearance.
BDD often happens in people with other mental health disorders such as major depression and anxiety
Other factors that might trigger BDD are:
1. Experience of traumatic events or emotional conflict during childhood
2. Low self-esteem
3. Parents and others critics
4. Pressure from peers and society
Symptoms
Some patients are preoccupied with their overall appearance
About40% of patients with BDD actively think about the flawed body parts for 3 to 8 hours per day
These preoccupations are almost always difficult to stop or control
They are linked with significant anxiety and distress.
Diagnosis:
Based on DSM5:
1. A preoccupation with a flaw in the physical appearance for at least one hour per day.
2. Repetitive behaviors, such as skin picking, repeatedly changing the clothes, or looking in the mirror.
3. Significant distress or a disruption in the ability to function because of the obsession with the flaw.
Treatment:
Psychotherapy
One treatment that may help is intensive psychotherapy with a focus on cognitive behavioral therapy.
The focus of the therapy is on identity building, perception, self-esteem, and self-worth.
Medicines:
The first-line of medicinal treatment for BDD is selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants such as fluoxetine (Prozac) and escitalopram (Lexapro).
SSRIs can help reduce obsessive thoughts and behaviors (30%).
Another help is antipychotic drugs such as olanzapine, aripiprazole, or pimozide.
Surgery
Aesthetic cosmetic surgery is not advocated for people with BDD.
Results showed poor outcomes in people with BDD after cosmetic surgery.
The best treatment is a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy and SSRI.
TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Chapter 2 Causes
Chapter 3 Symptoms

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kenneth Kee
• Release date: Sep 6, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463640654

Kenneth Kee

Medical doctor since 1972.Started Kee Clinic in 1974 at 15 Holland Dr #03-102, relocated to 36 Holland Dr #01-10 in 2009.Did my M.Sc (Health Management ) in 1991 and Ph.D (Healthcare Administration) in 1993.Dr Kenneth Kee is still working as a family doctor at the age of 74However he has reduced his consultation hours to 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours inthe afternoon.He first started writing free blogs on medical disorders seen in the clinic in 2007 on http://kennethkee.blogspot.com.His purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of his patients which is also his dissertation for his Ph.D (Healthcare Administration). He then wrote an autobiography account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.comThis autobiography account “A Family Doctor’s Tale” was combined with his early “A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders” into a new Wordpress Blog “A Family Doctor’s Tale” on http://ken-med.com.From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 1000 eBooks.He apologized for typos and spelling mistakes in his earlier books.He will endeavor to improve the writing in futures.Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.The later books go into more details of medical disorders.He has published 1000 eBooks on various subjects on health, 1 autobiography of his medical journey, another on the autobiography of a Cancer survivor, 2 children stories and one how to study for his nephew and grand-daughter.The purpose of these simple guides is to educate patient on health disorders and not meant as textbooks.He does not do any night duty since 2000 ever since Dr Tan had his second stroke.His clinic is now relocated to the Buona Vista Community Centre.The 2 units of his original clinic are being demolished to make way for a new Shopping Mall.He is now doing some blogging and internet surfing (bulletin boards since the 1980's) startingwith the Apple computer and going to PC.The entire PC is upgraded by himself from XT to the present Pentium duo core.The present Intel i7 CPU is out of reach at the moment because the CPU is still expensive.He is also into DIY changing his own toilet cistern and other electric appliance.His hunger for knowledge has not abated and he is a lifelong learner.The children have all grown up and there are 2 grandchildren who are even more technically advanced than the grandfather where mobile phones are concerned.This book is taken from some of the many articles in his blog (now with 740 posts) A Family Doctor’s Tale.Dr Kee is the author of:"A Family Doctor's Tale""Life Lessons Learned From The Study And Practice Of Medicine""Case Notes From A Family Doctor"

Book preview

Body Dysmorphic Disorder

A

Simple

Guide

To

The Condition,

Diagnosis,

Treatment

And

Related Conditions

By

Dr Kenneth Kee

M.B.,B.S. (Singapore)

Ph.D (Healthcare Administration)

Copyright Kenneth Kee 2018 Smashwords Edition

Published by Kenneth Kee at Smashwords.com

Dedication

This book is dedicated

To my wife Dorothy

And my children

Carolyn, Grace

And Kelvin

This book describes Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases which is seen in some of my patients in my Family Clinic.

(What You Need to Treat Body Dysmorphic Disorder)

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader.

If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Introduction

I have been writing medical articles for my blog: http://kennethkee.blogspot.com (A Simple Guide to Medical Disorder) for the benefit of my patients since 2007.

My purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of my patients.

Health Education was also my dissertation for my Ph.D (Healthcare Administration).

I then wrote an autobiolographical account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog: http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.com.

This autobiolographical account A Family Doctor’s Tale was combined with my early A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders into a new Wordpress Blog A Family Doctor’s Tale on http://kenkee481.wordpress.com.

From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 800 eBooks.

Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.

For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.

The later books go into more details of medical disorders.

The first chapter is always from my earlier blogs which unfortunately tends to have typos and spelling mistakes.

Since 2013, I have tried to improve my spelling and writing.

As I tried to bring the patient the latest information about a disorder or illness by reading the latest journals both online and offline, I find that I am learning more and improving on my own medical knowledge in diagnosis and treatment for my patients.

Just by writing all these simple guides I find that I have learned a lot from your reviews (good or bad), criticism and advice.

I am sorry for the repetitions in these simple guides as the second chapters onwards have new information as compared to my first chapter taken from my blog.

I also find repetition definitely help me and maybe some readers to remember the facts in the books more easily.

I apologize if these repetitions are irritating to some readers.

Chapter 1

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)

What Is Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)?

While most people have parts of their body they feel less than passionate about, body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a psychiatric disorder in which people become obsessed with a slight imperfection or nonexistent body flaw.

It goes beyond just looking in the mirror and not liking the nose or being annoyed by the size of the thighs.

Instead, it is a fixation that interferes with the daily life.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder is a pervasive perception that the body is different and more negative appearing than the actual facts, no matter how many times a person is presented with the facts.

Typically, other people cannot even see the flaw that the person with BDD is consumed by.

No matter how many times people assure them they look fine or that there is no flaw, the person with BDD cannot accept that the issue does not exist.

Incidence

About 2.5 percent of males and 2.2 percent of females in the USA are living with BDD.

It develops most often during adolescence.

BDD often goes undiagnosed.

That is because people with the condition are frequently ashamed to admit their concerns about their body.

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a definite mental disorder in which a person is anxious with an imagined physical defect or a minor defect that others often cannot see.

As a result, people with this disorder see themselves as ugly and often avoid social exposure or turn to plastic surgery to try to improve their appearance.

BDD has similar features with eating disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

BDD is similar to eating disorders in that both involve a concern with body image.

While a person with an eating disorder worries about weight and the shape of the entire body, a person with BDD is concerned about a specific body part.

People with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) have repeating and upsetting thoughts, fears, or images (obsessions) that they cannot control.

The anxiety or nervousness caused by these thoughts results in an urgent need to do certain rituals or routines or compulsions.

With BDD, a person's obsession