Analyze this particular disorder as it relates to our society’s preoccupation of having to look a certain way.Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), a distressing and impairing preoccupation with an imagined | Coursehero Solutions

Analyze this particular disorder as it relates to our society’s preoccupation of having to look a certain way.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), a distressing and impairing preoccupation with an imagined or slight defect in appearance, is an “OCD-spectrum disorder” that appears to be relatively common. BDD often goes unrecognized and undiagnosed, however, due to patients’ reluctance to divulge their symptoms because of secrecy and shame. Any body part can be the focus of concern (most often, the skin, hair, and nose), and most patients engage in compulsive behaviors, such as mirror checking, camouflaging, excessive grooming, and skin picking. Approximately half are delusional, and a majority experience ideas or delusions of reference. Nearly all patients suffer some impairment in functioning as a result of their symptoms, some to a debilitating degree.