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The Perfect Imperfection
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
By Carma Haley Shoemaker
In the United States, greater than one-third of all women between the 
ages of 15 and 39 have a condition called body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). This disorder is made evident when preoccupations with body appear and especially when the preoccupations focus on one area. Body dysmorphic disorder interferes with social, career, sexual and personal relations and activities. However, there is no one cause or even one set of symptoms, which makes the issue even more pressing, especially in teen girls.
According to Abigail Natenshon, psychotherapist, BDD is about self-loathing, body intolerance and body image disturbance. "It's one thing to be aware of your body; it is another to be over-aware," says Natenshon. "Those who suffer from BDD are preoccupied – or even overly obsessed – with their body, their shape, their size and their weight. It goes without saying that all of these conditions put a person at high risk to develop eating disorders."
But why? "Reasons why BDD develops come together in the context of genetic susceptibilities and temperament," says Natenshon. "In these cases, the whole can be greater and more devastating than the sum of its parts. The question why is far less significant than what to do to alleviate the emotional pain that BDD carries with it."
While BDD is a dominant disorder, teens do not wear a sign on their neck to let you know it's there. Parents need to learn what it is, what it does and what to look for.
