Overcoming Body Dysmorphic Disorder

If you suffer from body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), you are all too aware of the negative impact this condition can have on your life. You may experience intense anxiety about perceived body or facial flaws, or obsess over thinning hair, acne, wrinkles, and scars. You may even undergo repeated cosmetic treatments and surgeries, or avoid going outside for fear of scrutiny—becoming a virtual prisoner in your own home. However, if you are ready to make a change, this book can help. Overcoming Body Dysmorphic Disorder will help you gain a better understanding of your condition so that you can begin recovering. Based in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), this book offers practical exercises and worksheets to help you target the cause of your BDD, begin to change the way you think about your body, and prevent future relapse. With this book as your guide, you can move beyond your anxieties and start living with a greater sense of freedom and confidence.

Many people occasionally suffer from a negative body self-image but, for an increasing number of people, this can turn into a more serious preoccupation. One per cent of the population will develop Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), a condition characterised by severe preoccupation with a perceived physical defect. Body image problems can cause significant distress and can lead to further problems such as anxiety, eating disorders and social phobia. It has long been recognised that negative body image problems are a factor in the onset and maintenance of many eating disorders. However, they can be successfully treated with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Praise for Overcoming Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and the Overcoming series: '[Overcoming Obsessive Compulsive Disorder] is an affordable and highly recommended read.' The Psychologist 'The best consumer-friendly CBT-based books...All are very thorough.' Observer

"Presenting an effective treatment approach specifically tailored to the unique challenges of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), this book is grounded in state-of-the-art research. The authors are experts on BDD and related conditions. They describe ways to engage patients who believe they have defects or flaws in their appearance, not a psychological problem. Provided are clear-cut strategies for helping patients overcome the self-defeating thoughts, impairments in functioning, and sometimes dangerous ritualistic behaviors that are core features of BDD. Clinician-friendly features include step-by-step instructions for conducting each session and more than 50 reproducible handouts and forms; the large-size format facilitates photocopying. See also the related self-help guide by Dr. Wilhelm, Feeling Good about the Way You Look, an ideal recommendation for clients with BDD or less severe body image problems."--

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) or dysmorphophobia is categorized as a chronic mental illness or anxiety disorder characterized by extreme concern about one's own physical appearance. If you have BDD, then unfortunately it's only natural that your social life, career, family, and interpersonal relationships will suffer. You even tend to neglect your responsibilities because you have a different priority in terms of worrying about your appearance. Even that you know nobody is perfect, you simply cannot disregard the minor imperfections that you have. You stare at the mirror for hours, trying to figure out what you can do to hide, minimize, or modify that perceived imperfection. Well I'm here to give you some good news: There are specific techniques you can implement that will gradually get rid of your dysmorphophobia. Since it's considered a mental and anxiety disorder, the treatment spans along the lines of Cognitive Behavior Therapy and other similar behavioral adjustment methods. This book is designed to provide you with important information that will help you overcome Body Dysmorphic Disorder. It is also an essential guide to understanding your disorder better so that you are better equipped to deal with it properly and effectively. Grab this book now, and let's get started.

Learn how to assess and treat body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) Presents the best treatment practices Instructions for novel and advanced treatment strategies Tips for improving client engagement Illustrated with case studies Printable tools for clinical use More about the book This volume provides a user-friendly, evidence-based guide to the diagnosis, phenomenology, etiology, and treatment of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). New and seasoned clinicians can learn about the foundations of CBT for BDD as well as the rationale and instructions for modifying the approach to meet the differences in symptoms found in this client group. The book explores techniques for treatment engagement, including adjusting therapeutic style, appropriate utilization of behavioral and cognitive therapy, family involvement, and motivational interviewing techniques. Other issues associated with BDD are also highlighted: poor insight, comorbidity, concerning rates of suicidality, and ambivalence regarding treatment. The authors outline step-by-step instructions for numerous novel and advanced treatment strategies, including perceptual re-training, attentional training, acceptance and commitment approaches, and ways to manage ongoing desire for cosmetic surgery. Detailed case examples are presented with corresponding treatment guidelines to highlight the variety in clinical presentation and corresponding treatment approaches. Printable tools in the appendices can be used in daily practice. Watch a video interview with the authors

In a society where a blemish or “bad hair” can ruin an otherwise perfect day and airbrushed abs dominate the magazine rack, many of us feel ashamed of our bodies. If dissatisfaction with your looks is a distressing preoccupation, this compassionate book offers a way to break free from the mirror. Harvard psychologist Sabine Wilhelm leads you through a step-by-step program that helps you fight the urge to spend hours “fixing” your skin and hair, working out, or shopping for flattering clothes. Reality-check exercises based on cognitive-behavioral therapy demonstrate how to identify unfounded beliefs about your appearance. Once you understand the negative thoughts and feelings that distort your self-image, you’ll be able to shed lengthy grooming rituals and overcome the embarrassment that keeps you from enjoying life. With Dr. Wilhelm’s expert guidance, you’ll learn to replace self-doubt and insecurity with confidence and a positive outlook. Whether you’ve spent thousands on plastic surgery or avoid trips to the beach, dating, or socializing, you owe yourself this opportunity to make peace with your looks. If you or someone you care about is struggling with a body image problem, effective care is finally at hand. Health care professionals, see also the related treatment manual: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

In a world obsessed with appearance, it is not surprising that body dysmorphic disorder, or BDD -- an emotionally painful obsession with perceived flaws in one's appearance -- has manifested itself as a troubling and relatively common problem for many individuals. In The Broken Mirror, the first and most definitive book on BDD, Dr. Katharine A. Phillips provided a comprehensive manual for patients and their physicians by drawing on years of clinical practice, scientific research, and professional evaluations of over 1,000 patients. Now, in Understanding Body Dysmorphic Disorder: An Essential Guide , the world's leading authority on BDD reaches out to patients, their friends, and their families with this concise and updated handbook. BDD causes sufferers to be obsessed by perceived flaws in their appearance and may afflict as much as two percent of the population, or nearly five million people. Many sufferers are able to function well in society, but remain secretly obsessed by their "hideous acne" or "horrible nose," sneaking constant peeks at a pocket mirror, or spending hours at a time redoing makeup. Others find their lives disintegrate because of their appearance obsessions. It is not an uncommon disorder, simply a hidden one, since sufferers are often embarrassed to tell even their closest friends about their concerns. Using stories and interviews to show the many different behaviors and symptoms of BDD, and a quick self-assessment questionnaire, Dr. Phillips guides readers through the basics of the disorder and through the many treatment options that work and don't work. With Understanding Body Dysmorphic Disorder: An Essential Guide, sufferers will find both helpful advice and much needed reassurance in a compact, down-to-earth indispensable book.

Do you struggle with constant feelings that your body is not good enough? Do you imagine that, if you could just change you appearance, you would be happier and more fulfilled? If you do, you might be dealing with the effects of a problem call body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). Individuals who suffer from BDD are excessively preoccupied with the shape or size of their body-obsessed with a facial blemish, a minor bodily defect, or some specific aspect of their appearance. They spend hours each day thinking about their perceived deformity, checking and rechecking their appearance in the mirror, camouflaging themselves with makeup or clothing. Men affected by a form of BDD known as muscle dysmorphia are obsessively concerned about their muscular development, no matter how large and pumped up they are. In extreme cases BDD leads to unnecessary plastic surgery, serious eating disorders, steroid abuse, and even suicide. The good news is that BDD is highly treatable with cognitive-behavioral techniques provided in The BDD Workbook in a step-by-step, easy-to-follow format. OCD experts Claiborn and Pedrick guide you through a proven intervention plan that helps you recognize your distorted self-perception and come to terms with how it leads you to self-inflicted emotional and physical pain. Exercises, charts, and worksheets help you to develop a healthier response to your body and a more balanced self-image. The book provides information about BDD-related eating disorders and the special problems of children with self-image issues. It also offers suggestions to help you gain support from family members, medical professionals, and support groups. This book has been awarded The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Self-Help Seal of Merit — an award bestowed on outstanding self-help books that are consistent with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles and that incorporate scientifically tested strategies for overcoming mental health difficulties. Used alone or in conjunction with therapy, our books offer powerful tools readers can use to jump-start changes in their lives.