Body Dysmorphia Test - Do I Have Body Dysmorphia? - (2024)

Thank you for taking our body dysmorphia test! Below is a little bit more information about this disorder as well as links to mental health professionals who can help you.

What is Body Dysmorphia?

Most people dislike something they see in the mirror about themselves. However, these imperfections don't cause them to get in the way of daily living.

People with body dysmorphia disorder obsess about their flaws, whether they are real or perceived, for hours each day of the week. Their negative obsessive thoughts overtake their thinking and they can't be consoled by their friends and family members who try to assure them that nothing is wrong.

According to Dr. Amy Boyers:

Body Dysmorphic Disorder is a disabling mental health disorder with a high level of co-morbity with other mental conditions, such as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Hair Pulling Disorder, Social Phobia and Depression. A person with Body Dysmorphic Disorder can’t stop thinking about real or perceived defects or flaws in their appearance. In many cases, these defects or flaws are perceived as minor by others or are not even observable. But to the person with this disorder, these flaws majorly impact their behavior and psyche.

Common Areas of Concern for a Person with Body Dysmorphia

While a sufferer of body dysmorphia can obsess about any of their body parts, here are a few common obsessions according to Dr. Oliver Pyatt:

Body weight

Sufferers of body dysmorphia often obsess about their body weight and how toned their muscles appear.

Hair

The amount of hair can be obsessed about by sufferers of body dysmorphia, whether it's too much hair or not enough hair.

Facial Features

Sufferers of body dysmorphia often focus on their nose, but can focus on any part of their face.

Skin Imperfections

Those suffering from body dysmorphia sometimes focus on their skin imperfections, such as: wrinkles, acne, and scars.

Do I have Body Dysmorphia? Symptoms and Signs of Body Dysmorphia

According to the Cleveland Clinic, about 1 in every 50 people in the United States have body dysmorphia. People with this disorder may be reluctant to discuss their symptoms and may not receive a formal diagnosis. If you're wondering "Do I have body dysmorphia", here are a few common signs:

Many Sufferers of body dysmorphia often:

  • Avoid social situations
  • Seek cosmetic procedures but often are disappointed with the results
  • Constantly compare their appearance to others
  • Believe that a small defect makes them unattractive
  • Become so obsessed with their physical appearance that they struggle juggling their social life, school or work attendance, and other social gatherings
  • Don't allow their picture to be taken
  • Avoid mirrors
  • Ask for reassurance often
  • Spend way too much time trying to hide their flaws
  • Hide in the dark
  • Measure or touch their flaw constantly
  • Believe everyone is always noticing and judging their flaws
  • Constantly think about their appearance

DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria for Body Dysmorphia

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(DSM), or DSM-5, outlines that the following criteria must be met for diagnosing body dysmorphia:

  1. Preoccupation with one or more perceived defects or flaws in physical appearance that are not observable or appear slight to others.
  2. At some point during the course of the disorder, the individual has performed repetitive behaviors (e.g., mirror checking, excessive grooming, skin picking, reassurance seeking) or mental acts (e.g., comparing his or her appearance with that of others) in response to the appearance concerns.
  3. The preoccupation causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other areas of functioning.
  4. The appearance preoccupation is not better explained by concerns with body fat or weight in an individual whose symptoms meet diagnostic criteria for an eating disorder.

Specify if:

  • With muscle dysmorphia: The individual is preoccupied with the idea that his or her body build is too small or insufficiently muscular. This specifier is used even if the individual is preoccupied with other body areas, which is often the case.

Specify if:

  • Indicate degree of insight regarding body dysmorphic disorder beliefs (e.g., “I look ugly” or “I look deformed”).

    • With good or fair insight: The individual recognizes that the body dysmorphic disorder beliefs are definitely or probably not true or that they may or may not be true.

    • With poor insight: The individual thinks that the body dysmorphic beliefs are probably true.

    • With absent insight/delusional beliefs: The individual is completely convinced that the body dysmorphic beliefs are true.

Types of Treatment for Body Dysmorphia

Body dysmorphia can be a traumatic and destructive disorder for a sufferer to endure day in and day out. Here are some common types of treatment for body dysmorphia:

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy, or cognitive therapy, can help a sufferer change the way they think. Behavioral therapy can help a sufferer change their behaviors related to their disorder. The goal of psychotherapy is to change the false narrative a sufferer thinks about themselves.

Medication

Medications such as SSRI antidepressants are used to treat body dysmorphia disorders. Antipsychotic medications are also used.

Group or Family Therapy

Getting support from your loved ones is a critical step in overcoming body dysmorphia disorder. In family therapy, family members are taught to understand how body dysmorphia works and also learn symptoms that go along with it.

Body Dysmorphia Treatment

Body dysmorphia can be treated by proven methods of psychotherapy. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a common technique for treating body dysmorphia, as well as improving related symptoms such as depression and anxiety. SRI medications are also effective for treating body dysmorphia symptoms.

If you need help, there is hope! Reach out to a licensed mental health professional that treats body dysmorphia.

Body Dysmorphia Test - Do I Have Body Dysmorphia? - (2024)

FAQs

Do people with body dysmorphia realize they have it? ›

That's partly because they don't realize the thoughts and feelings they experience are signs of a mental health condition or because they're ashamed or afraid to ask for help. This means it's important to talk about BDD if you notice signs of it in yourself or a loved one.

How to score the BDDq? ›

Scoring of body dysmorphic disorder questionnaire (BDDQ). The severity scale of BDD was used from 0 to 4 (0 = level 0, 1 = level 1, 2 = level 2, 3 = level 3, 4 = level 4). A score of 4 was regarded as BDD. A score of 0 to 3 was considered negative for BDD.

What is the score for the body dysmorphic disorder questionnaire? ›

Scale scores range from 0-48. The cutpoint for the presence of the BDD diagnosis is 20. It is intended for use only with people who have already been diagnosed with BDD (it should not be used to screen for or diagnose BDD). It is best for the BDD-YBOCS to be administered by a trained clinician or rater.

Can body dysmorphia make you think you re skinnier than you are? ›

Muscle dysmorphia (or muscle dysmorphic disorder) is a type of BDD where you experience obsessive worries about your body being too small, skinny or not muscular enough. Despite these worries, you're of average build. Or in some cases exceptionally muscular.

What is reverse body dysmorphia? ›

With RBDS, a crumbling middle-aged person such as myself looks in the mirror and sees a wonderfully sophisticated, coolly attractive, surprisingly youthful slim person.

How do people with BDD see themselves? ›

Being extremely preoccupied with a perceived flaw in appearance that to others can't be seen or appears minor. Strong belief that you have a defect in your appearance that makes you ugly or deformed. Belief that others take special notice of your appearance in a negative way or mock you.

What is it called when you see your body differently? ›

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a mental illness. People who have this illness constantly worry about the way they look. They may believe an inconspicuous or non-existent physical attribute is a serious defect.

How to get assessed for BDD? ›

Diagnosis of body dysmorphic disorder is typically based on:
  1. A psychological evaluation that assesses risk factors and thoughts, feelings, and behaviors related to negative self-image.
  2. Personal, social, family and medical history.
  3. Signs and symptoms.
Dec 13, 2022

How do you score an Assq? ›

How is the ASSQ scored? The ASSQ consists of 27 items/statements. The questionnaire is scored using a likert scale, with the following alternatives for each item: “not true” (0 points), “somewhat true” (1 point) and “certainly true” (2 points). All points are tallied up to produce a total score (maximum of 54 points).

What is the code for body dysmorphia? ›

ICD-10 Code for Body dysmorphic disorder- F45. 22- Codify by AAPC.

What is the criteria for body dysmorphic disorder? ›

To be diagnosed with BDD: You must be abnormally concerned about a small or nonexistent body flaw. Your thoughts about your body flaw must be severe enough that they interfere with your ability to live normally. Other mental health disorders must be ruled out as a cause of your symptoms.

What is the rate of body dysmorphic disorder? ›

Prevalence of Body Dysmorphia

The prevalence of body dysmorphic disorder, also known as body dysmorphia, is estimated to affect approximately 2.0% of the general population, but the condition may be more common in some groups, such as teens, women or people with a pre-existing psychiatric condition.

Why do I look skinnier than I weigh? ›

The Impact of Muscle on Silhouette.

So, even if you gain muscle and your weight on the scale increases slightly, you can appear slimmer and more toned. That's why it's essential not to focus solely on weight but also to consider body composition.

Why do I feel skinny but look fat? ›

The phrase 'skinny fat' or metabolically obese normal weight (MONW) is used to describe someone who appears to be lean, but actually has a high body fat percentage. If they were to calculate their body mass index (BMI) or even weigh themselves, they may appear to be healthy, but this can be deceiving.

Can you be attractive and have body dysmorphia? ›

Since people affected by BDD are often attractive objectively, it is not surprising that they may be misperceived as being vain and frequently are not properly diagnosed in a timely manner, or ever, in part because their plight is easy to minimize or mock.

Do people with body dysmorphia actually see themselves as fatter? ›

They may still perceive themselves as very heavy, even when the reflection in the mirror reveals a much smaller person. This phenomenon is sometimes called “phantom fat” or “phantom fat syndrome.” The medical term is body dysmorphic disorder.

Does body dysmorphia actually change what you see? ›

Someone with body dysmorphic disorder doesn't see their body as it really is or as others see it. The "flaws" they focus on are things that others can hardly notice. They exaggerate them, so things seem worse in their minds.

Is body dysmorphia just insecurity? ›

Body dysmorphia is much more than having low self-esteem; it is a debilitating disorder that is characterized by being “overly preoccupied” with imagined flaws or true minor flaws in their appearance to the extent that individuals spend hours each day obsessively thinking about this flaw.

Is body dysmorphia imagined? ›

Objective: Body dysmorphic disorder, a preoccupation with an imagined defect in physical appearance, has a rich tradition in European psychiatry but has been largely neglected in the United States.

References

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