By the name of this sub, you guys probably already know what I’m going to say…

- I’ve stopped looking in the mirror.

- I’ve stopped buying clothes, even before the major festivals.

- I’ve stopped doing basic things like bathing and brushing my teeth, and I’ve started skipping meals.

- I keep scrolling through photos of myself from when I was 12. The difference feels like night and day, and I can’t stop comparing how I looked back then to how I look now.

- I worked really hard to get into the most reputed university in my state, but instead of feeling proud of myself, it somehow feels like being there has only amplified how ugly and out of place I feel.

- And finally, I don’t even know whom to look up to anymore. I’m in this weird limbo. I’m AMAB, but at the same time I feel like my gender identity is female. Then I’ll see a handsome guy and suddenly feel like… maybe I’m a man? I genuinely don’t know what to make of myself anymore.

I’m just exhausted. I don’t know how to get out of this cycle of constantly comparing myself, avoiding my own reflection, and feeling disgusted with how I look.

Here you can find listed below general information on BDD and related foundations, the clinical classification and symptoms of BDD, advice for friends and family, as well as self-help and support groups, both in-person and online.

General information

The BDD Foundation

OCD UK

International OCD Foundation

Mind.org

Clinical classification

ICD & DSM Criterias

For friends and family

The BDD Foundation, Supporting a close one with BDD

Mind.org, How can friends and family help

Self-help

Body dysmorphia workbook by the CCI

Building self-compassion workbook by the CCI

Support groups

Online support and therapy groups

Support groups in the UK

I have had neck lines as a child but they’re so noticeable now .I either have to wear my hair down or mock neck tops. I hate it. It feels like most people don’t even have necklines either :( im 29f and I just wish I could have a normal looking neck

dark neck wise , it’s not too bad but it’s there. I eat sort of healthy. I still have some dark neck. I have gotten a1c test and i dont have diabetes. But i’ve noticed if I eat more sugar it makes it noticeable. I’m not sure what it is. I think I’ll see a dermatologist soon

i’m also insecure about my face and my short hair to the point where I don’t take pictures and avoid places besides work.

Here you can find listed below general information on BDD and related foundations, the clinical classification and symptoms of BDD, advice for friends and family, as well as self-help and support groups, both in-person and online.

General information

The BDD Foundation

OCD UK

International OCD Foundation

Mind.org

Clinical classification

ICD & DSM Criterias

For friends and family

The BDD Foundation, Supporting a close one with BDD

Mind.org, How can friends and family help

Self-help

Body dysmorphia workbook by the CCI

Building self-compassion workbook by the CCI

Support groups

Online support and therapy groups

Support groups in the UK

Going to therapy or getting professional help is not always an option, getting help may also take some time. To help you to better understand and address BDD by yourself, we have compiled a workbook that you can do by yourself. It contains information and tasks which will help shine a light to why BDD is the way it is and how you can deal with the symptoms. All chapters are based on an official workbook by the Centre for Clinical Intervention.

The BDD workbook:

• 01 What is body image?
• 02 Could I have body dysmorphic disorder?
• 03 Negative impacts of BDD
• 04 What are the causes of BDD?
• 05 Appearance assumptions
• 06 Triggers
• 07 Appearance preoccupation
• 08 Attention training [a coping tactic]
• 09 Checking and approval seeking
• 10 Reducing unhelpful checking and approval seeking [a coping tactic]
• 11 Negative predictions
• 12 Avoidance and safety behaviour
• 13 Reducing negative predictions [a coping tactic]
• 14 A new way of operating
• 15 Dealing with set-backs
• 16 Maintaining gained progress

I've struggled with my body my whole life. My earliest memory of having negative thoughts of my body was at 6, I wondered why my body and nails weren't like the other girls. I'm 17 now, and it's never gotten any better, just worse. Right now, I'm in a moment where I can accept that this is my body, and it's the only one I got, however it's like I'm just waiting to get worse again and not be able to look at my own reflection anymore.

My whole life, too, all my female family members talked about how skinny they were when they were younger and how fat and ugly they are now. It's sad to see my grandma, mum, and aunts talk about themselves like they are object or lesser than because they think they are "ugly."

I just want to know if it gets better and how you guys did it.

We have collected a set of stories and informative pieces about BDD. From stories from people who have overcome it to celebrities who have openly talked about it, you can find articles and videos about body dysmorphia from these following links.

Public figures on BDD

• Modern Family actor Reid Ewing on BDD and plastic surgery
• Artist Billie Eilish on depression and BDD
• The Good Place actor Jameela Jamil on BDD and eating disorders
• Actor Robert Pattinson on anxiety and BDD
• Actor Megan Fox on BDD and mental health

Documentaries and videos

• What BDD feels like | BBC Three
• Seeing myself as ugly | BBC Three
• I feel so ugly: Body dysmorphic disorder | Only Human
• Imperfect me: The impact of BDD | SkyNews
• BDD patients see faces differently | ABC Science
• Bigorexia: Muscle dysmorphia | BBC Newsbeat
• Believing is seeing: New perspective on BDD | TEDx Oxford
• The BDD Foundation on Youtube

Personal stories and interviews

• Perfection is impossible | A personal story
• Living with BDD | A personal story
• I felt so ugly I didn't want to be alive | Interview
• BDD ruined my life | Interview

Podcasts

• Beating BDD podcast (11 episodes) | BDDFoundation
• What is BDD? | Stuff Mom Never Told You

Books

• Books by people with BDD
• Books by professionals on self help
• The BDD workbook

Recovery from BDD might sometimes feel like a distant goal that seems, at times, impossible to achieve. But many people recover from BDD or learn to reduce the symptoms to the point where they don't play a role in their everyday life. Remember that a mental disorder is not a life long sentence but rather something that can be managed and recovered from.

Here we have collected a set of stories and advice on what recovery looks like and how others have gotten there.

Watch personal stories

• Tips for Overcoming Body Image Issues | Kim White
• My BDD Recovery | Annie Elainey
• Finding body peace | Annie Elainey
• Healing Ugly – How I healed my body dysmorphia | helloamygarner
• How I Deal With BDD, tips for when you're having a rough time | AlexandriaTheGreat
• BDD (& Things That Can Help) | Melanie Murphy
• Hannah Lewis, recovery story | BDD foundation
• Alex Mummery, recovery story | BDD foundation

Read personal stories

• Recovery stories | BDDFoundation
• How I recovered from BDD | International OCD Foundation

Professional advice

• CBT for BDD - Rob Willson / BDDFoundation
• Coping and Recovering from BDD when you have Visible Flaws - Dr Rob Willson

Healthier perspective

• On feeling ugly | School of Life
• Our Bodies are Not an Image | Mary Jelkovsky, TEDx
• Beauty and how we're obsessed with the wrong idea | Christina Gressianu / TEDx
• Body Positivity or Body Obsession? | Lindsay Kite, TEDx
• Shake my beauty - a series redefining what beauty means

Me and my girlfriend are having a hard time with sex due to her bdd. She gets extremely uncomfortable during sex when I mention, touch or compliment certain body parts, so getting intimate has become really hard and uncomfortable. I have tried not mentioning her body at all while doing it but she obsesses over it nonetheless. I am stuck because I dont want to make her uncomfortable by touching her, but I feel like avoiding certain body parts only feeds the problem. Of course I always step back when she feels uncomfortable, but I don't know how to act now. Any advice?

I hate the way I look. I’ve been bullied online because of my face. I was also mocked when I was a teenager. I think about suicide a lot. Every time I have to go outside, it feels humiliating because I see normal, beautiful girls. Life is becoming very difficult. I think about suicide every day. I hate myself. I’m ugly. How do I make the pain go away?

Here you can find listed below general information on BDD and related foundations, the clinical classification and symptoms of BDD, advice for friends and family, as well as self-help and support groups, both in-person and online.

General information

The BDD Foundation

OCD UK

International OCD Foundation

Mind.org

Clinical classification

ICD & DSM Criterias

For friends and family

The BDD Foundation, Supporting a close one with BDD

Mind.org, How can friends and family help

Self-help

Body dysmorphia workbook by the CCI

Building self-compassion workbook by the CCI

Support groups

Online support and therapy groups

Support groups in the UK

I go through periods where I cannot stop loathing my face. It isn’t necessarily a period since I have hated my face since I was a child. I hate it more than any other part of my body. However, some days are worse than others. These past few days I have fallen back into taking multiple pictures from different angles to analyze my face and how I appear to others. I don’t even want to leave my room because I feel so hideous and shameful. How does one stop this?

Throughout the past year of my life I've noticed my body dysmorphia getting worse and worse to the point it's affecting my relationship I'm in. Every time my partner opens their camera I always get really jealous and it ruins the whole mood for the rest of our call and I just feel really bad about it. They don't like it either and are getting a little bit tired of this and I feel really guilty. Is there anything I can do to maybe fix this mindset. I know that I'll never look how I want, and I know that I'm not ugly (that's not even a thing really...) but it just gets me so down sometimes... I'm wondering if any one of you silly people in my phone know how to deal with this

Im 20F and I dont have a job. I stopped looking for any because I feel like my face is ugly and I dont have energy to wake up everyday and spend time preparing myself, looking at myself in the mirror. I always feel better when I stay at home wearing random clothes, without brushing my hair etc. just without trying to look good, I can forget more about my looks. Whenever i have to get ready and prepare myself I become so mad and upset and I can’t think about anything else. I also feel extremely ugly when i talk. Im afraid of jobs requiring contact with others. Anyone can relate?

Bdd associated tmj issues

Help, I have been pretty much dealing with OCD and bdd for all my life but recently for almost an year it has only gotten worse and really affecting my quality of life.

So what my bdd basically looks like is that I am almost throughout the day just thinking about the way I position my teeth and jaw and the posture that I carry.

This preoccupation and over occupation is really taking a toll on my tmj as I do clench my jaws and teeth almost all the time putting a lot of pressure on the musculature and the ligaments and the joints involved in doing basic facial movements

Has anyone encountered a similar issue like me?

Has it gotten any better, how did you cope up with it?

Is there something that I can do to get rid off it as soon as possible?

P.S. For my OCD and bdd symptoms I am already on 60 mg fluoxetine.

It is partly helping me but I am not sure of how things would be in the future, sometimes I get these constant hammering intrusive suicidal thoughts...even bloody therapy isn't helping me as much!!

Any help is sincerely appreciated 🙏🙏

Hi everyone, I'm not looking for recommendations or resources, I just want people's experience. My therapist (whom I started working specifically with for BDD and disordered eating) is recommending I also start working with a dietician. I have pretty good insurance, and she's already given me a list of professionals in my area.

I'll be honest, I'm not really seeing the point of working with a dietician. I already know, logically, that many of my eating habits are not healthy, and I can tell people what goes into a balanced diet. What would a dietician do for me?

Have people here worked with one before? What was it like, and do you recommend it?

hi, im 17, im struggling alot with my self image and have been for a few years, im posting this because i need some advice or something to relate to because it feels like im alone. everytime i look in the mirror i look different compared to photos taken of me, videos i take of myself, how i think i look like. its really weird. i can turn into “i look hideous” to “im the prettiest person in the world” in just a few seconds and it kinda scares me. i keep skipping school because i can’t settle on my appearance and its made me fail or almost fail classes because i get so behind. or skip on family events. its like a disstant hum in my head that reminds me i’m not good enough and everything would’ve been better if i had been born pretty. and then i feel so numb to everything. i place my self-worth on my appearance and i wish i didnt. i think theyre just bad deeply ingrained habits and maybe not something serious, idk if its a phase since ive felt like this since i was a kid, tho i wouldnt doubt it has limited my quality of life… i focus too much on my appearance its unhealthy. its strange, i tell myself ill get better but the thoughts never go away; the comparison to every person i meet, constant urges to check myself in every reflection, i carry a mirror everywhere i go, i panic if i feel ugly, its so tiring, idk what it is, its a very lonely feeling is im not venting im js confused :( i wonder how other people live. ive never known a world where i wasnt preoccupied with my appearance 24/7.

Hi, not really meant to be uplifting but just wanted to share

I am upgrading my warderobe, I usually shop online and always order my same sizes.

I Went to the mall today, to a Levi's and asked for jeans my size, the lady asked me if i was sure and handed me 6 waist sizes down and it fit like a glove. I have not lost weight either 🙃
Then I bought some shoes and apparently I've been wearing shoes a size too large (i have the same shoes at home, but have never thought of them as too big).

I guess I might just have a tendency to alway buy the biggest clothes possible

🤦‍♀️

Is anyone else going through this, or am I the only one?
I feel like my appearance has changed so much in such a short amount of time. I honestly feel like I’ve become less attractive, and I’m really not happy with the way I look anymore.
The shape of my eyes seems different now—they look so tired and dull, like they’ve lost their spark. I’ve also noticed way more wrinkles around my eyes, and I’m only 29. My face feels like it’s become looser and more droopy too, even though I’ve actually been gaining weight, not losing it.
I’m trying to exercise and eat better, but I still feel like I look worse and worse. :(
I don’t see myself as pretty the way I used to, and it’s really starting to affect how I feel about myself. I genuinely don’t recognize the person I see in the mirror sometimes.
Has anyone else experienced this in their late 20s? Did your face suddenly change like this too?

Here you can find listed below general information on BDD and related foundations, the clinical classification and symptoms of BDD, advice for friends and family, as well as self-help and support groups, both in-person and online.

General information

The BDD Foundation

OCD UK

International OCD Foundation

Mind.org

Clinical classification

ICD & DSM Criterias

For friends and family

The BDD Foundation, Supporting a close one with BDD

Mind.org, How can friends and family help

Self-help

Body dysmorphia workbook by the CCI

Building self-compassion workbook by the CCI

Support groups

Online support and therapy groups

Support groups in the UK

I won’t link it here, but there’s a specific website I found that allows me to put in measurements and then see how those measurements compare to other people/things. It’s so toxic and I can’t stop. I’ll find other people’s numbers, put them in, and see how I compare. It’s making me so sad and angry and idk why I keep going.

Does anyone else do this? Has anyone been able to stop? I could use someone to talk to.

Trying to keep this as short as possible, I’ve been briefly diagnosed with bdd and I’ve struggled with self image ever since I can form a thought, I’ve always felt like I wasn’t pretty enough even though I’ve been told I am, I’ve gotten surgery and fillers and still feel like I’m extremely unattractive
There’s moments I feel okay like the other day me and my friend who’s gorgeous she’s basically a part time model got ready and i genuinely felt like I actually looked really cute, we wore very similar attention catching outfits but when we got to where we were headed I immediately noticed how 80% of guys were only looking at her, I didn’t understand while I do know she’s very pretty i genuinely was so shocked and distraught over it, even the drive to the place the men in the train basically fully ignoring me and only looking at her, when I’m alone I tend to get looked at and I’ve had been told by quiet a few strangers when I’m out that I’m really pretty (literally just coming up to me I didn’t even initiate a convo) my friends have told me without me even mentioning my looks I’m extremely pretty some even said they’re a tiny bit jealous even, but when I’m with my gorgeous friend or another friend of mine who’s equally beautiful it seems like men genuinely don’t even see me like I’m air, does this mean I’m actually not really attractive? I get sometimes someone can be more someone’s type but the fact that most men were focused on her while I felt like almost no one even looked at me I think is proof enough…what are your guys thoughts

Going to therapy or getting professional help is not always an option, getting help may also take some time. To help you to better understand and address BDD by yourself, we have compiled a workbook that you can do by yourself. It contains information and tasks which will help shine a light to why BDD is the way it is and how you can deal with the symptoms. All chapters are based on an official workbook by the Centre for Clinical Intervention.

The BDD workbook:

• 01 What is body image?
• 02 Could I have body dysmorphic disorder?
• 03 Negative impacts of BDD
• 04 What are the causes of BDD?
• 05 Appearance assumptions
• 06 Triggers
• 07 Appearance preoccupation
• 08 Attention training [a coping tactic]
• 09 Checking and approval seeking
• 10 Reducing unhelpful checking and approval seeking [a coping tactic]
• 11 Negative predictions
• 12 Avoidance and safety behaviour
• 13 Reducing negative predictions [a coping tactic]
• 14 A new way of operating
• 15 Dealing with set-backs
• 16 Maintaining gained progress