Body dysmorphic disorder patients actually see faces differently

Body dysmorphic disorder is a serious mental illness where you obsess over a physical flaw that others can’t see. Subscribe to ABC Science KZbin 👉 ab.co/2YFO4Go
Until recently, BDD treatments were rarely studied. But cognitive neuropsychologist Professor Susan Rossell and her team at Swinburne University of Technology have been working on new tools.
They are using eye-tracking technology to try and understand if people with BDD look at faces and bodies differently to the way most of us do.
This is an excerpt from the Australian documentary series, Catalyst - Investigating Body Dysmorphia. Australians can watch the full program here: iview.abc.net....
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[@Sofreakingmad]

I don’t want to be seen beautiful by others, I want to be seen beautiful by me.

[@tbicansparkle4006]

word.

[@ilikedarknes3351]

I feel the same way its like "ok they think im pretty but I would like to see that in myself too"

[@_sumina]

You are beautiful, but your brains focused on the parts you deem aren't.. I used to have really bad bdd but its slowly become better. You just have to see urself through different perspectives, physical beauty is subjective but I bet ur smile lights up the room! try to appreciate even the small things..ex: i have a crooked tooth that pokes out when I grin and I used to despise it but I've seen it on other people and it looks so cute.. then I started to believe mine looks cute too! because it does!

[@Sofreakingmad]

@@_sumina I appreciate your kind words I really do. You are a beautiful person thats why you see beauty in everyone and every thing. Thank you for being you sir. All the love and respect.

[@_sumina]

@@Sofreakingmad ur kind words are appreciated as well, THEY IN FACT MADE ME FEEL BEAUTIFUL and that makes u beautiful but in the end it’s for u to see for urself. all thanks are for u 🤍

[@lola2693]

as someone who’s diagnosed with this people will never understand how difficult it is to explain to people, they just think i’m self obsessed and vain for constantly needing to look in the mirror

[@ra6153]

It is vain tho... like u keep looking the. U will feel worse.

[@bomoore9872]

@@ra6153 nah its not vain. that's obsessive. vain is thinking of ones self with high opinion. people with body dysmorphia got a low opinion.

[@LK-sy3kl]

@@ra6153 that’s not what vain means...vain implies the person enjoys looking at themselves and fixing themselves up so they look great. BDD is someone looking cause they feel that they are disgusting and have to look at the specific body parts to confirm how bad they may look in front of others. There’s no good feelings from it unlike vanity. A vain person may say wow I look so beautiful as they stare at themselves and doll up. Someone with body dismorphia is not looking in the mirror to compliment themselves

[@MG-uz5mr]

I have BDD and I do consider it self-obsessive. You're literally consumed by your own image and how you look to people rather than focusing on them. I've worked very hard to realise that, to value myself for more than what I look like in the mirror, and importantly to value other people's time and not spend it thinking about my self!

[@bomoore9872]

@@MG-uz5mr yep, but read the 2 replies above you. self-obsessive and vain are 2 different things. same with arrogance. these things sound similar and I get why you may think that. but by definition it is not vain

[@rami723]

People saying that oh she's so pretty she has nothing to worry about is the same when you say to depressed people that oh just don't be depressed, be happy. Some people just will never understand EDIT 16/05/21: Ppl please don't argue. It's a thing that most of us can't understand, because we have not gone through this. Asthma? Oh, just breathe. Anorexia? Just eat. Other ED? Just eat normally and you'll lose the weight you should lose. Alcoholic? What? Just stop drinking, it's not that hard. Drug addict? You just have a weak character and so on and so on..

[@geko9214]

yes

[@lillysteffan396]

Exactly!

[@tina9905]

Exactly like “ don’t be depressed, you’re life isn’t that bad be happy and enjoy it” Smh Edit : y’all I’m being sarcastic.....

[@gnomehuntress]

Tina b thats shallow

[@kisigma1102]

Exactly

[@denisemacalino8274]

I remember thinking "I can't have BDD because people with BDD are people who think they are ugly. I am actually just ugly, it isn't a perception"

[@anxious_and_avoidant]

YUP

[@thatonescenefromamericanps5434]

Same

[@Cinnamon455]

Brittany Broski feels the same way and its frustratingly sad to look up to someone so much, you can see their beauty but they can't see it themselves. We don't deserve to compare ourselves to Madison Beer or Gigi Hadid, we are our own souls and that in of itself is beautiful. I may not be as beautiful as Gigi or Billie Eilish or Ariana Grande but I have skills and personality of my very own that I can be proud of.

[@solprtty]

Same

[@user-xh1kx5xi1l]

Same and i still think that

[@rinapop2681]

I have this disorder and there were days where I simply wouldn't leave the house because I felt so horrible about the way I look, I would constantly look for features in other people which I was envious of, I would constantly compare myself with them

[@meganszobonya5151]

rina pop :( sadly I can relate and this month it has been hitting me harder than it ever has... I hope you’re doing better :)

[@mynamo12]

rina pop Me too. I used to take obsessive pictures of my face from different angles, hundreds of them. I used to hide my face. It’s still hard to go outside sometimes.

[@losthope98]

I feel this. I nearly flunked out because I was terrified of leaving my house due to my horrible self esteem and body image.

[@feliciafuehrer741]

rina pop do you still struggle with your disorder? Are there things you can do to mitigate it? Does anything help alleviate your symptoms? Also, do you struggle with “mirror checking “ compulsively? I, asking BC my best friend has this disorder and I’m trying to understand the disorder better. Thanks for sharing your experience and struggle with us. 🙏🏻

[@catimperator6783]

Same.. It really limits everything. I often feel like I don't deserve many things or that people treat me with respect, because I always think that I'd be disgusted and discontent with me, too, if I was them.. Really hard..

[@sheenmac27]

That’s been the best part of the pandemic is having a reason to wear a mask all of the time.

[@maazshuja4907]

Exactly 😓😞

[@sand4brainz506]

Ive been thinking this too.

[@Kay-ip8mi]

i’ve been thinking that the entire time, it makes leaving the house a lot easier now, i feel bad for enjoying something that’s harming others :(

[@klerushka]

EX ACT LY!!

[@sairah9164]

Also not going out anymore so the feeling of being anxious that everyone is looking at you has stopped

[@haydenmary103]

I have this, it’s so confusing, I never know what to expect when I look in the mirror.

[@gabibruns4619]

i guess same.. I wish I would be happy when i look in the mirror, but it just makes me really sad

[@river4047]

lol yeah

[@haydenmary103]

@@river4047 💜

[@929er13]

i legit never cry but there have been rare occasions in which i see pictures someone took of me without my permission and I'd cry or feel like crying because i look awful and there's nothing i can do to stop them from taking pictures or saving them/putting them online.

[@haydenmary103]

@@929er13 I felt that hard. I despise those unexpected pictures. You aren’t alone in that! 💜

[@emileebelle]

the scariest part is knowing I’ll never be enough for myself and never be enough for anyone else. how could i when every-time I look at myself, I feel myself revolt at the thought. That anyone who sees me can see the way I look at myself. it’s so exhausting and I’m so so tired of feeling the way I do every time I wake up. it’s the first thing that crosses my mind. I see everyone living and being carefree and I wish I would be able to do that. Every time I go out, it takes this energy out of me. I can feel myself panic and sometimes I’ll even hide in the bathroom just to calm down as pathetic as it sounds. Trying to act confident when all I want is to hide and cover myself up from anyone else revolting at the sight of me. Anyone who ever laughs or even looks at my direction - it’s like their eyes are circling around me and saying such hurtful things. I’d never be enough. It’s always the thought of never being enough. It’s the constant replay of repulsion. The disgust I could distinguish in facial expressions. This pandemic has made it worse for my self appearance, especially with the mask. I got so attached to it that every single time I think of not having a mask, I start breaking down. It was a source of comfort that I can go out and not be judged constantly, even if it’s one part of my body that is covered. It feels safe and I hate it. i just don’t want to feel this way anymore.

[@chileanyways196]

same

[@ametrineambrosia4929]

I hug you. I feel disfigured and incomplete as a woman. Like anyone who says I'm beautiful is deluded and would throw up if they saw me (w/o the makeup and clothes).

[@rainy5517]

you took the words right out of me

[@emileebelle]

@@rainy5517 i’m sorry :(

[@Te3time]

well you dont know that since you cant know the future like the mask gave you comfort (you can keep wearing it btw idk where you live but) and Im sure you wouldnt have expected there would ever be situation like that so why would you think in the x amount of time you have left there wont be other even more helpful things coming? also I do not have any problem like this but my life is definitely not carefree or even good everyone has their own problems and everyone is struggling its part of the human experience imo

[@jennyh.2381]

I suffer with BDD but didn’t find out until recently. My biggest insecurity is my skin. I feel like it is too uneven and textured and I feel like I look old and tired. I don’t like cameras most of the time and I avoid public mirrors. I always compare my complexion to others. I will never FaceTime anyone either. I hate this disorder!

[@Averyslay108]

I am the exact same way, especially about FaceTime. The FaceTime camera makes my face look sooo uneven and unproportional.

[@bambisofi7393]

same. i dont let anyone take photos of me and tbh its sad that im gonna look back at my teen years when im old and wont have any photos...

[@stephanie6897]

i cannot facetime either. and get majorly shamed over it ! but i have NEVER told anyone why.

[@NaniRPDL]

Me too, I don't have acne or any other skin condition but because of genetics and pigmentation my skin looks so bad... And also I have terrible proportions with one side of my jaw being very notoriously bigger than the other side and my mouth is placed weirdly... To be honest I didn't even notice what was the problem with my face (I knew it was weird but didn't know why) so when other people would ask me why do you talk like that? I realized I must look so strange and funny to others... I hate it so much....

[@seriesofshay1890]

I have this same exact issue. As I read the comments I’m becoming emotional because now I can put a name to what I’ve been dealing with. Hopefully we can all overcome this. I want to feel beautiful one day.

[@dee-gk2uv]

the way i started to ugly cry when the lady described how she feels It's like..."finally, someone understands " Because it really does feel like I'm the only one going through this and it's just so exhausting and sad

[@ametrineambrosia4929]

I get suicidal from it. I understand and hope you never feel bad for crying.

[@dlife7826]

I hope you have found help since your comment, I recently found Caldwell Ramsey's work on BDD and its been so helpful to my healing journey

[@dantevalerio7693]

I balled my eyes out while watching this .. living with this debilitating condition is no joke.

[@ametrineambrosia4929]

I hope you never feel ashamed to cry or talk about it. Especially as a man. I cried too.

[@mschice0003]

Self love saved me

[@syedrubein7545]

Coming from a person that is actually suffering from this i can say that i don't think people realise how horrifying and absolutely damaging this is..the constant urge for perfection and trying to look the best you can not meeting friends, girlfriend and absolutely destructing your mental health due this disorder is absolutely heartbreaking especially in this generation of social media and peer pressure it's absolutely difficult

[@dlife7826]

I hope you have found help since your comment, I recently found Caldwell Ramsey's work on BDD and its been so helpful to my healing journey

[@irishnessie]

I literally don't know what I look like. It's crazy to me that this disorder makes you not see yourself.. I spent years of my life looking in mirror fixing myself, but I don't see myself? It like I just zoom in on one part and miss the entire picture.

[@ametrineambrosia4929]

I feel you!

[@YugeYun]

Omg same and also I feel like aside from this I have hard time picturing what I'm like in general. What I look like when I talk to people or what my personality is like, how do I walk... I don't know if this is normal. I used to make vlogs where I just talk, to get an understanding of what I'm like. Though when I closed the video I lost that perception right away. It's so weird. I feel like I'm obsessed with looking in the mirror and waiting for that epiphany of finally grasping the essence of me. But it just never happens. Also videos filmed by other people are horrible. I feel like it's not me. I look so awful. I'd rather not watch cause I feel so ashamed that's me.

[@swayansiddhadey]

@@YugeYun Omg I feel some words you wrote like vlogging myself doing things from different angles only to watch them and delete them righr after. To get an idea of how I look when I do things talk from different angles. I look at the mirror so much. I don't think i hate myself but I am insecure I know that. And on top of that, I have an insecurity about my face being not equal. I obsessively ask my mom if she sees what I see too. She says no it looks normal and I am trying to just not care anymore. I am workin on that. I know I am beautiful and I have started always callinf myself beautiful and looking at myself like how I would look at my crush. Idk if it sounds narcissistic but that makes it better. And I have started to love myself. I am 15 btw.

[@MeHoyMinoy-cv3ps]

OMG same. It’s like I see to much too closely to actually perceive the whole image of my face as one. The reflection never makes sense and I have no idea each day how it’ll be until I look in the mirror… it depends how bad I think I look, it impacts my day completely. A rare good day where I feel normal are my absolute favourite. 😍

[@feistylittlepanda5572]

Same here! You describe exactly how I feel. It's painful!

[@EvieSaintAnn]

I struggle with this everyday and it’s so exhausting. All I feel is hopelessness. It’s such hell to live with.

[@_blank-_]

If I could live wearing a burqa, I would.

[@lindseylush]

Me too. It's all consuming. I often think of myself as deformed, and all I see is my terrible skin, and the ways that aging is taking over. It's my own personal hell. And will probably keep getting worse as I get older.

[@m.younis9849]

Ever though of the idea of modesty in Islam?.. (aka Hijab) The concept of shifting the gaze from the physical features to the person themselves?

[@929er13]

@@m.younis9849 is that even why that is a thing? isn't that something about only husbands being able to see a woman fully because apparently "she's not pure" if someone else does 🤔

[@m.younis9849]

@@929er13 I've never mentioned that a woman who doesn't dress modestly is "not pure" at all.. And I don't think that I accept calling any respectable person "impure"!.. Don't take me out of context please.. Modesty btw in Islam is mandatory for both men and women.. The difference is in the allowed body surface areas but eventually both have to be modest! Modesty shifts the gaze from the physique to the person.. That simple! Eventually.. If you believe in the Lord.. And you believe that his last revelation for humanity was Quran.. You'd just follow what he tells us to do as humans because then you believe that he made us hence knows the best for us..! So it's up to you to search for him path.. May he leads you to what's best in this life and the one afterwards 🌹

[@PiaJustynn]

When the prof cried, I cried too. She's on a life mission to help people with BDD. I hope they develop a therapy for people who suffers it. I felt her when she said these thoughts are making her tired.

[@ametrineambrosia4929]

You look like a 🌸

[@evangeliahelsing]

I suffer from this and I'm so glad that it's something not all people have.. Everyday it's guaranteed that I'll be sad about my body and it's very tiring and exhausting

[@terima5341]

This is so true!! Please stay strong!!!

[@TheWendable]

Evangelia helsing Everyone is to fixated on their own bodies to be looking at yours, believe me.

[@Nosteponsneksss]

The thoughts are there in your every waking hour. It's relentless from the moment you wake up from the moment you go to sleep. Your mind is in this spiral of self loathing and envy. It reeks havoc on your relationships and just life in general. I had it for 4 years and I never thought I'd ever be able get out of that mindset. I don't know how. I still have bad days, I still don't particularly like my body, but it's just not as big a deal anymore. I thank the universe everyday to have my life back. If anyone suffering reads this, you are so much more than your body. No one external can give you the validation you seek. Take care of yourself

[@dxrberrii728]

Body dysmorphia is such a big problem for me, honestly. Like I can be feeling really good about myself, when I can't see myself, and then I take a picture of myself or walk past a reflective surface I can't help but look, and my confidence just goes back down to 0 again. Sometimes I force myself to walk past the mirrors at school, but then that just makes me feel worse because then I have no idea what I look like. I can't help but notice every tiny flaw, like, oh, my eyes are too small, my pupils are too small, my eyes are too dull, my nose is too big, my head is too small, my eyes are too asymmetrical, my lips are too big, my face is too disproportionate, etc etc. The worst part is when I don't even know what's wrong, but I can just tell that I look off. I always have to remind myself that most people aren't gonna take a second look at my asymmetrical eyes, or don't even notice that my head is too small, or that my nose is too big. But sometimes I just feel like their silence is them just silently judging me from a distance, and it doesn't help much that I'm not too popular at school either. It's so time consuming as well, and stressful, like no one wants to stand there in front of a mirror for like an hour, but I just do. Sometimes I don't know if me not being able to see my real face in real life is a good thing, or a bad thing, like I actually look really great in real life but it doesn't show in cameras or in mirrors, or I actually look terrible in real life, or even worse than in mirrors and photos, and if I ever saw my real face I would be super disappointed. Another bad thing is subconsciously judging other people's appearances, like you really don't want to, but you just do, to make yourself feel better, like, oh, that person is uglier than me, but they're still popular, I wonder why I don't have friends, and it feels so terrible. Okay I'm just gonna edit this because I'm not actually diagnosed with bdd, but a lot of the symptoms and the stuff the lady is saying in the video is matching up with my experience, so I can really relate to and understand what she is saying. :) Also, for all the people saying that the lady in the video is pretty, you're kinda missing the point, because like no matter how many compliments you get, people give you, if you have bdd then you'll always have an excuse for why people are complimenting you. Like for me, when people compliment me, I always feel like they're just complimenting the clothes I'm wearing.

[@truegamingyt05]

OMG! This is 100% accurate and relatable😭

[@myknic]

bdd is truly debilitating I still struggle everyday my heart goes out to anyone else that struggles too ❤️

[@ananiaaa]

i remember so many times i would fake a headache or something to avoid going to school because there would be days i felt like i COULD NOT face people because of how utterly ugly i looked

[@ametrineambrosia4929]

How are you now?

[@ananiaaa]

@@ametrineambrosia4929 thats so sweet of you to ask ! i am much better even tho i still occasionally feel insecure but its not as bad as it used to be

[@roberta6918]

I have bdd and sometimes in the past I also used to hurt myself to punish me for how I looked, for how my legs looked. My body to me is disgusting: I feel like a monster everyday and people who bullied me and called me “a walking deformity” and other bs I don’t want to talk about just made me feel worse. I felt like finally I got the “validation” I was looking for, I mean, it was prooven to me that I was a sort of freak. I don’t feel ok around people, sometimes I have panic attacks when I’m outside; I don’t go to the beach, I don’t wear certain things, I try to cover myself all the time and I avoid people as much as I can; I hate cameras and photos and if people try to take a pic of me I burst into tears or get incredibly angry while crying; I want to undergo plastic surgery all over my body and my face and I don’t care if other people tell me I’m beautiful because I don’t see that, I don’t believe it. I wish I could be normal and see myself the way my loved ones see me.

[@felizaniverseesaw29]

im so sorry, those people that bullied are so disgusting and disrespectful. even though you might not believe me, i think you are very gorgeous please dont change yourself, you are perfect just the way you are :)

[@TechnoScorpion2137]

i feel EXACTLY the same, I'm saving every penny for full face surgery in south korea, maybe some liposuctions too. I just wish i had bigger eyeballs, because my eyes are really small and nothing can change them... and my bones are very massive, my fingers very short and wide etc.

[@ametrineambrosia4929]

You're pain and thorns but like an angel and velvet rose petals. Oh hon I have self mutilated and have scars because of this. It's hell. I wonder if I can escape. I wish I could hug you.

[@ametrineambrosia4929]

@@TechnoScorpion2137 I wish I could get surgery for my scars, big belly and nose.

[@ametrineambrosia4929]

@@TechnoScorpion2137 😭

[@abbieamavi]

I feel like BDD was as obvious to me when I saw myself in a picture and thought “oh I’m that small??” Because back then, in my mind, I always thought and believed I was huge and ugly and ungainly. I legitimately saw a different person in the mirror, scary. Hugs to anyone dealing with BDD right now. 💛

[@BlakersReacts]

I looked at the eyes and then done toward the mouth. With that being said, I obsess over my body, my face, my hair - to the point where I don’t look in mirrors, won’t take pictures, I get depressed, anxious, etc. I feel the face test in the video may or may not be accurate on its own. I’d be interested in doing a full exam though.

[@RockOfGreece]

When the scientist at the end cried it was heartwarming. She and her team are heroes. Keep up the great work

[@SeeBeautyThroughMyEyes]

Bdd is truly exhausting. I truly believe BDD is 100% caused by the image-obsessed society that we were raised in.

[@eskaban_edits_beats_and_more]

yeah, i dont necessarily want to be hot, i just want to stop looking deformed

[@doclinny]

I don't think so. Society probably has a big impact on it but if it was solely responsible, everyone in the country would have BDD.

[@MELLMAO]

I sometimes have issues recognizing people's faces correctly because I focus so much on specific parts of the face that they become separate and don't make a cohesive thing. I don't notice "oh this is an xy celebrity", I notice "this is an individual with short nose, hooded eyes, angular face and dark hair put up" and multiple people pointed this out to me, that I don't recognize faces (new faces) as other people. I get so fixated on their features of face and body that it escapes me

[@suruxstrawde8322]

Interesting, I do a similar thing but it’s just analytical thought- and it actually means I recognize people faster than others.

[@elizakatekosko7983]

THIS IS ACTUALLY THE MOST RELATABLE THING I HAVE EVER SEEN

[@sammypinkie5177]

She's so freaking beautiful it breaks my heart but I relate to her soooo much:'(

[@sallylen9611]

I always look at my face and i think "yeah i'm ugly" but i find myself looking at myself in a picture and looking at myself in the mirror at the same time and no mater if everything is the same in the picture as in the mirror i look different in the picture. My facial features look different some are higher some are lower and my proportions look different, to me i don't even think i could be related to myself in pictures and i always wonder if it's just me. The way my body looks is different if i change mirrors or if i just happen to be thinking about my weight and size. I always go crazy thinking "do i even really know what i really look like" but that's just a rant i suppose

[@Tanaconasaperson]

I just wish I could talk to Daniella! I used to suffer from this so severely that I nearly lost my life. She genuinely has a 10/10 body and face.

[@kristinadj1018]

McFuhkk how did you get over it?

[@vampevanescencefan12]

What helped?

[@johoneyman3699]

McFuhkk it’s a mental illness. It doesn’t matter what anyone says to her she won’t believe them.

[@xfranczeskax]

So glad you're still here! May i ask how you overcame it?

[@andrealicona4451]

McFuhkk what helped you ?

[@guccicoochie7138]

I don’t mean to self diagnose but everything she explained, describes me, I’ve always been insecure ever since I was like 10 and I remember that at 10 years old, I would search up plastic surgery places and the cost. Many people think that because I look in the mirror so much I love myself and I’m like obsessed with my face but in reality, I’m disgusted. My family knows how I always complain about my features and just last week, my aunt started crying because of how much it hurts her how badly I hate myself. I will admit that I’m not chubby but I’m not like Victoria secret skinny which I wish to be, sometimes I wonder, if I had everything I wanted, would I still be insecure? She described having a pimple and that describes me exactly and to the point. I always look at pretty girls and compare myself and it’s to the point where I have a whole bunch of pictures saved of them that way, I can look at them and see how I should look like, I then start by trying to get better features and similar features to them. Whenever I see really pretty people, my whole self esteem gets lower than it already is. I hate going out because I feel as though I’m hideous compared to every one else. Idk when or if it will ever stop.

[@someone_3911]

We're the same, i can't even go to school because of how hideous i look. Now i'm homeschooled. Somedays i do everything in my power to be perfect (workout out, sabing money for surgery) and other days i feel like i'm so ugly that no amount of surgery can fix me. I just need to be perfect, i know it's impossible but i could sacrifice everything if it was possible

[@dlife7826]

I hope you have found help since your comment, I recently found Caldwell Ramsey's work on BDD and its been so helpful to my healing journey

[@cam5635]

Omg, this is so painful, I feel like this everyday.

[@kori9168]

I always hated the the way I looked especially my facial expressions. I don't know if I have this but i thought about my face all the time, I feel like I look different everyday and hate when my face looks a certain way especially when I smile. I remember I had gotten 2 pimples on my forehead and I had put a bandage on it and when I went to school people thought I had a deep cut but I couldn't bring myself to say that it was just acne. I did tell eventually so they wouldn't worry (just to some friends) and I just felt so embarrassed. I remember in one class this boy asked me what happened to my forehead and I told him that I have body issues and I regretted telling him because after that he looked it up and told me "so you just want to be perfect". And that really hurt me, I'm not trying to be perfect I just can't stand myself and my flaws especially in certain angle. Something I've noticed myself doing these days in looking at my nose I have a hump and I just don't like the shape it goes down and my side face it just seems so sharp. But, I'm really just hanging on, I don't know what made me care so much about my face and body. But i think some thing's that stuck to me was because i was bullied especially about my looks and being called ugly when I was a kid by an older person, including an incident I still remember till today was when I was in elementary school going into middle school I was with all the girls in my class and they were saying who would get a boyfriend once we entered middle schooland everybody in there was named except me. I always agree, that I'm not attractive because I never had a boyfriend (I don't worry that I'm single). I always download apps on "how beautiful you are" or things like that but I haven't been doing it anymore because I know I'm dragging myself down. I'm just hoping my mindset will be more positive this year. And Happy New Years Everybody and be safe. (I'm also late on typing this but I'm glad I tried to say what I feel inside).

[@sylverdynasty3896]

When the lady said she had BDD, she smiled and I would've done the same. You know why? Because she finally felt normal. Like she had an answer to everything and that she wasn't crazy like she thought. Like she was given the confirmation that she wasn't making anything she was saying up, meaning, she can finally work to have closure with herself and that makes me happy for her! I wish I had the same opportunity, but seeing how uncontrollably happy she was, I shared the same feeling. She automatically didn't even new what to say, that's why she was just in a automatic response method with short ,non complex and simple answers (also smiling).she was emotionally processing the information and her brain was trying to reject the new information given, but also trying to understand it. Because it's ome thing to tell this to yourself, without any degree or anything to back you up, another is a professional, well informed doctor giving you this diagnosis. The brain processes differently taking our opinion as just a thought and others in high levels of society (doctors) as a fact! This makes me genuinely happy for her! ❤️

[@cinder4181]

Within the first two minutes, I am crying as if I'm looking in a mirror. I've never been diagnosed with BDD, but I also never mention it to anyone. I just genuinely mentally destroy myself every day and keep people away from me emotionally as a result.. like if someone found out how I think, that I'd be shunned...

[@ametrineambrosia4929]

So many of us suffer. I self harmed from it. I feel like ppl get sick of hearing me talk about it. You aren't shameful at all. Hugs.

[@bensonflecher6344]

you know how people tell you “your not ugly your just not my type” that basically what this disorder is saying to you.

[@Smartys11808]

I was diagnosed about a year ago. It’s exhausting.

[@Unlike230]

Since I was a kid I felt so different from the world, so ugly. I see a horror in the mirror. I have been told so many times how ugly I am. I'm gotten to the point of nausea looking at myself so wearing a mask has made me feel better. Daniella is beautiful

[@daniellaaacw]

Wow she’s so beautiful!

[@Mel87y]

daniellaaacw I no that’s what I dnt get

[@BloopyBlobBob]

The best thing about getting diagnosed is having your experience validated and feeling less alone because you can relate to others with the same diagnosis

[@isabellana4938]

I feel like this. I’ve been told I’m beautiful my whole life, but I’ve always felt like people were lying to me, probably because they pity me. Sometimes I know this isn’t true and they have no reason to tell me I’m pretty unless they truly believe so, but other times I’m convinced that they must be lying to me. I can’t stand looking at pictures of myself, I get extremely disgusted and I start panicking. I don’t exactly know what I dislike about myself, I just feel like something is completely off with my face and body. It’s hard since family members and friends have told me I’m just fishing for compliments since I must know I’m pretty, but I truly don’t see it and I feel so misunderstood.

[@bineesh.k.b9416]

You are pretty as well I also have bdd When I'm going outside people are attracted towards me Some people say you have beautiful eyes and pretty face But i can't see myself in mirror or photos My collage friends some time jelous of me because I have pretty face 3 girls already proposed me because I have pretty face but i think why. I picked a bluring plate that reflect show my face was pretty as well. But I'm stop looking mirror and stop possing photos it makes me positive feeling If you want see your reel face say some one draw your face who know drawing as well When it takes very bad people will judge you it makes you very stress and worries Music is the way can reduce the stress You can use phone camera side Angle to see your face with eye protection mode and bulb should be yellow buld that how I see my self

[@Marauder131]

Did this study ever get published? I'd love to read the journal article.

[@shevaugnjohnson8373]

There is published research on eye tracking in BDD. You can go to google scholar and put in "eye tracking in body dysmorphic disorder"

[@isabellahamp718]

I‘ve read about many studies like that in my psychology course. I‘m sure you can easily find one with google scholar :)

[@natashahau5533]

This was so helpful in explaining what people mean when they say BDD makes you "see things differently". It's not exactly that features are distorted, but that our perception of those features -- what we focus on and don't -- is what actually creates that distortion.

[@exzaf]

I remember in middle school, high school, and my first two years of college, I suffered some degree of Body Dysmorphia. It was definitely not as bad as these people where I would be obsessive over it and it'd ruin my day. I was fine with looking in the mirror and taking selfies, but I remember whenever I would see my body in pictures, I would always see it a billion times fatter-- to be blunt-- than I actually was. I always thought my thighs were huge. That was actually my biggest insecurity. And I always thought my face looked too puffy or my overall upper body was too fat. I hated looking at pictures of myself for that reason. And its like I would feel good looking in a mirror in the morning, yet feel really shocked and insecure if I saw my body in a picture later that day. It would ruin the entire memory because its like I realize that's how other people saw me. It's like you know when you hear a recording of your voice? Then you wonder why your voice sounds weird and not as deep as you thought. Like your voice sounds completely fine when you talk, but completely weird when its captured. That's what it was like for me. Fine looking in the mirror, but completely fat looking at pictures. And the feeling is similar. I hate looking at the picture, but I'll move on with my day. I started working out in college -- not because I wanted to be healthy per se. I just had a lot of spare time on campus, and the campus had a gym. Why not? Then eventually I fell in love with the feeling exercise gave me, and I wanted to be healthy. And through exercising, losing weight, and training my thought process to realize the camera doesn't lie, I don't feel insecure anymore looking at pictures. And it's actually crazy because I was looking at some high school pictures a few months ago, (My phone has all the pictures I have taken in the past five years), and I realize how anorexic I looked. I never had an eating disorder, don't get me wrong. But I was incredibly thin. And that's crazy because I used to be an overweight, chubby Asian boy. So, its shocking to me how I had issues looking at my body when I was that fucking skinny. Like a twig-- no exaggeration. Was it Body Dysmorphia? I don't know, but I just always it some mild version of it. I honestly just feel glad I didn't turn to eating disorders. I'm so blessed it didn't get that far.

[@xniftyxchildx]

I don’t think it’s helpful that the woman explaining the results compares her brain to a “healthy” brain. Personally, I believe she should use words like “typical” brain. That’s give the poor woman the thought that she’s not healthy which can cause a whole new spiral into something far less healthy. She’s a beautiful woman, I hope she finds strength in that somewhere💕

[@plumpy_space_princess]

I see what you're saying, but then again, this is something that can be diagnosed. So, it is appropriate to label it a healthy brain.

[@mikanchan322]

fair point. On the other hand it may be comforting and validating to know that it's not just them being weird; it's a real mental disorder affecting them.

[@scarred10]

shes is the opposite of healthy,its destroying her life,that realisation will have no impact whatsoever if its not obvious to her already.BDD is not a brain illness like autism ,you may have a predisposition but theres always an environmental trigger and the responsibility for recovery is completely the patients

[@aronhighgrove4100]

Doctors always do that. I hate "healthy" "normal" "abnormal" as well, but it's just a name. Like "color blind" which is really insulting because it is inaccurate, you do see colors, all of them, just same shades are more similar, and others more different than for average people.

[@aronhighgrove4100]

@@scarred10 it's still not helpful, not everything can be healed really; making you aware of one more "flaw" is not helping; it would be enough to just say it deviates from average brains. more neutral.

[@acrobatstar]

Confident people don't know how good they have it

[@eleniyiayiaedou5515]

The thing is we as human are not only made out of bodies, we are so much more beautiful, we have souls, and we live in an insanely beautiful and complicated world. To spend time judging and bullying your self is just a way to miss out on life.

[@cloudanimal5209]

Eleni Yiayiaedou yeah it’s sad that it’s a disorder so they can’t exactly get out of judging and bullying themselves, and missing out. Until there’s effective treatment

[@moononthewindynight27]

No offence, but it's not like saying that is going to help.

[@xZAKANDSARAx]

Eleni Yiayiaedou but 10/10 it’s always gorgeous girls like you who say that. You’re right, but so frustrating that it’s always super cute girls who tell you where beauty is.

[@Fuzballoffur]

I agree with you. But I also feel people do not choose to have this disorder. They can choose to find a way out, but the initial suffering is very real. It’s just another path to finding a deeper connection to life. So while I feel that what you are saying is absolutely true, it can also be a way to unintentionally rub salt in the wound or cause people to feel unseen. If we judge our judgement it’s just a sneaky way of continuing to hurt ourselves. We have to be patient and present in the process and remember to have self compassion.

[@IlluminaudioOG]

Are you blaming people with BDD for having it?

[@danielisegale9258]

I feel this way ever since I’m 10 years old, I’ve never been diagnosed with BDD. But I’ve always struggled with my body image, specially my face and nose. Sometimes I can’t even look at myself in the mirror, it’s exhausting. And I am 23, and never have dated someone, and I believe that is because I’m so ugly no one wants me. There’s not a single day that I’m not concerned about the way I look, I’m always comparing myself to others, I just want to cry all the time.

[@montsergirl]

She’s very beautiful and seems like a very sweet person. It is so sad to see this... it is so hard to live with BDD, I actually think people are instantly mocking me if they ever gave me a compliment. It’s almost offensive because I really believe it’s such a lie,or they are trying to hurt me. It’s so messed up how our minds work.

[@avv_ooo411]

the fact that I relate so much to her scares me

[@tropicalpalmtree]

I legit cried watching her breaking down like that. I have BDD too and this put a lot into perspective about how we perceive ourselves because she looks absolutely beautiful but in her mind she sees nothing but a monster. I pray everyone with this hellish condition finds a working treatment and a sense of peace with their appearance.

[@yolanankaine6063]

I feel this so hard

[@braydenk.8348]

This was a beautiful documentary. Their emotions were so potent. I also didn’t know that it was less common to study faces so intensely. Something I’ll be bringing up to my therapist.

[@febreamarela1805]

Sometimes i think "am I a pretty girl that thinks she is ugly because of a disorder?" But then i realize that i'm really ugly and it's better to just wear big size clothes and don't look in the mirror ;-;

[@ametrineambrosia4929]

No ❤😗

[@giovanna3035]

I’ve never been diagnosed BUT of course display traits of BDD. The eye pattern was so interesting and took me back to a time I specifically remember when I was in dance. My biggest insecurity are/always were my legs. Anyway my dance instructor told the class how when we dance the human eye is drawn to the top half of the body and everyone agreed. I remember being so confused. “Well I really look and focus on their legs”. So it’s interesting because I tend to look at random areas of people, areas I am insecure about rather than them as a whole.

[@Gizmologist_]

After reflecting on my own feelings of my own dislike. It makes me wonder where the source of this distress truly comes from. A lack of self worth, self acceptance from a childhood trauma of feeling neglected and unwanted, developing into internal reasoning to dislike thy self which exacerbates over time by expecting outcomes of discomfort by projecting that fear in interpersonal relationships.

[@aronhighgrove4100]

She still manages to put makeup on and dress nicely. I feel unworthy of that.

[@mimoaa2652]

same here i hate wearing make up because i fell that iam fake

[@rainy5517]

I don't even know how to apply make up without looking like a clown and I have bad acne

[@Alexandra_K_]

I don’t have bdd and I’m positive that I’d “pass” that test just fine… I’m just ACTUALLY ugly lol🥲🤷‍♀️… so her talking about how obsessing over the way she looks to the point where she can’t enjoy life brings tears to my eyes because I feel that sh*t. I haven’t gone out with friends in a couple years now and I really HATE going out in public in general because I just don’t want to be seen... that sounds ridiculous but hating yourself is truly life-ruining. It’s like psychological prison. But excuse my pity party… this woman is genuinely gorgeous and I feel sad that you can look like her and STILL suffer the mental consequences of society’s beauty standards. I really hope that she’s found a treatment plan that works for her…

[@iSarita_yt]

Me too I'm actually ugly. Mouth breathing ruined my face and I want jaw surgery so bad.

[@sophiafakevirus-ro8cc]

Wait til you age, BDD gets much worse. BDD isn't just focusing on body parts, it's not being able to see myself, I'm a blur.

[@alliehaynes8849]

I’m so glad to just finally know what this is. Thank you

[@sirkittenlordoftuna6705]

I don't know if I have this but i really obsess over the things I hate about myself and they look worse everytime. When someone compliments me, I just think they're lying, like I cannot believe it even if I try very hard. I've lost weight and my mom tells me about how much better I look but I always find some sort of excuse for why that's not true, even when I see the scale and measure myself. I think it must be just that day, that the scale is broken, that I'm not measuring myself correctly and that all my effort has been pointless because i feel like I look still horrible. I've stopped looking at myself at the mirror because i would cry sometimes of how ugly and disgusted i felt. It has helped to not look at mirrors but I still don't feel beautiful or worthy. Some days I feel so disgusting that I think "how could anyone love such a disgusting being? They must be lying". I've gotten better overtime, it was much worse before but it's still so sad that no matter what anyone says about myself, no matter how nicely I dress, I can't see myself how others see me, and people around me do not understand.

[@jennaquines4655]

I have guttate psoriasis plaques all over my face (red flaky patches). It’s really difficult to accept yourself when you have such prominent flaws that are out of your control but knowing that someone as beautiful as this girl is with no obvious flaws, is fixated on them and believes everyone is looking at them is so unsettling.

[@dianasoletyoutube]

This is more serious than finding yourself "ugly". People who suffer from this can't do any activity that implies conciusness of their bodies: going to the swimming pool, buying clothes, taking photos... and if they are forced to, they will feel immense distress and psychological pain.

[@joseponce119]

As a person who thinks has body dismorfofobia I feel this to another level for example my self I’m insecure about my eyes not being the same size and my ears not being the same size my body looking wrong everything in my body doesn’t seem rights it’s tiering

[@itsppi]

I feel exactly the same as her and YES it’s soooo tiring.

[@vivispinkhair6341]

real

[@krutonite6161]

apparently this is incurable and has some of the highest rate of suicide out of all mental health disorders. here we go fellas, what a life we've had, what a life

[@vanessaheun7743]

37 seconds in and I can relate so hard...

[@k.p.3739]

I experience the same thing. But she is DEAD GORGEOUS AND STUNNING

[@gracebarber4496]

This really makes me tear up because i relate to it to much and cant stand to know how differently i could be living life without this. I feel terrible knowing this is how my friends and family see me dealing with it.

[@carinamartin1677]

I wish I would have realized that I have BDD before I ruined my face with plastic surgery

[@rosie6]

Damn I’m so sorry😢❤hugs?

[@thyri3023]

That girl in the beginning is so beautiful, I would shower her how beautiful she really is ☹️❤️

[@lindseyaliceford]

She is gorgeous wow. I hope she can get pass this ❤️

[@Dysfuctional101]

Well she was delighted with that diagnosis. The smile. I'd be devastated

[@annnawilll7914]

I’m 12 and obese and I think I may have BDD but I don’t know how to tell my parents, my mom is very supportive and always tells me I’m beautiful because she can tell I hate the way I look. I mostly never want to go out because I’m scared of what people will think of me and I always feel stared at. But for me I have days were I starve or I keep eating and it never stops. Ether way I feel horrible because when I eat to much I am extremely sad, disappointed, angry. But when I don’t eat I think to myself “you did it but you still look like a whale, you have no hope. I always thought it was just anxiety and I’m scared it something worse. All I think about it my body and how I look, I never get a break. It’s very mentally and physically exhausting, it never stops even when I’m alone I will make sure my double chin doesn’t show and make sure my thighs don’t look to big. I don’t like to tell people anything and just keep everything to myself so writing this anonymously is relieving. Anyways please if anyone knows a way to tell my parents, please tell me.

[@keilah2913]

I’m unsure of how you could approach your parents about this topic, maybe through writing something like this, but I’m commenting in hopes that other people could help provide you with more approaches. Sharing this was a big step and I really hope things get better! Sending you love!!

[@annnawilll7914]

@The Tea Channel thank you for all the help! I am still trying to build up the courage to tell my mom. I am still very scared but I’ll tell them when I’m ready! Thank you again!

[@Pepe-ri2wu]

I think, although I still suffer from some kind of BDD, it got kind of better because I started changing the way I am thinking to - "why am I criticizing and trashing the body my parents gave me? They would be so sad..." I know it would break their heart that we suffer like that inside. Because they love us. And we should think, we have parts that look like them, which means I am not happy with them? how they look? or what they created? I felt so guilty, that it helped me slowly appreciate what my parents gave me

[@shay6380]

this made me feel so many things. you can hear in her voice how much it’s broken her. and I feel her. but I never knew it wasn’t normal.

[@miap6844]

I feel another issue that should be addressed/discussed through education is the difference between BDD and vanity. I suffer from BDD and feel overwhelming shame discussing the topic. I feel - due to misunderstanding - that others may perceive me as vein or narcissistic - traits I’m the complete opposite of. Hopefully more understanding develops for this mental health disorder.

[@imovedy]

I have this :(

[@imovedy]

I've distorted my cuticles. It started recently

[@rosie6]

I’m so sorry❤me too and hugs 😢

[@EllieOscar]

I think I may have this, I remember being in 1st grade and I was next to a girl who was “skinnier”(?) then me and I remember feeling so huge next to her, I was literally skinny too

[@ndenizm2251]

Instagram social media and a euro beauty standard world has destroyed women. We must rise above these false delusions and see the beauty of our individuality. We are all beautiful we need to realize and spread THIS. Not a one type of physical woman that everyone should aim to look like. I’m so over this. I demand we change society

[@Frog-tl6xn]

?? Yeah they should feel bad Bc they have white privilege and continue racism by existing in a society that thinks they’re more beautiful by default lmao

[@mariaxx6393]

i really hope she'll heal and get better. she seems like a wonderful person.

[@rainy5517]

I've always had problems with my body, because I wasn't as skinny as others. As I grew older, I started to like my body a bit more, however my face and stomach (not anymore) and now my arm fat are terrible to look at. I've always thought that I look horrible in photos and in other people's presence and I still do. It's hard when you want to be seen as beautiful, but are afraid of people judging you

[@suruxstrawde8322]

Damm, absolutely fascinating and completely alien to my experiences. I just think all my physiological disorders are annoying and I don’t wanna do the work to fix them cause it’s gonna be hell. But insecurity over it just doesn’t make any sense, being upset over something isn’t fixing it, and sometimes the reaction is the actual problem. But the fact I don’t relate makes it more important to understand.

[@tonyalan3070]

Some of people gonna live happy life Some others gonna suffer of watching themselves in mirror

[@Victoria-bi8ee]

Nothing is black and white

[@summernations8747]

I get so anxious when I’m near a mirror in public

[@pm660]

Malik Adressi i am too afraid to look at to mirror

[@realtalk675]

Dear people who feel like this or insecure. Know you are not alone . I know how u feel try to raise your frequency stay strong my beautifull souls

[@Llamallama7282]

When I meet new people, I usually look for what im insecure about in others, their chin, side profile, their eyes (are they symmetrical) I look at the distance betwen the corner of their lip and their eye, their forehead, their nose if its long or short or wide or small, i look if their symmetrical, their eye color and shape, facial hair, idk why i do it, but whenever i meet them i usually look for what im insecure about and what i have, or what i don’t have and wish i did.

[@poopemoji4368]

For the first part of my grade 7 year, I wore my green hoodie tied around my waist everyday. Monday to Friday, all day, basically whenever I left the house. I felt completely comfortable and safe with it tied like that. I’ve never liked my body, but more specifically my “lower half”. I only wore long jeans, never shorts or any leggings of any kind, only jeans. In the colder months, the sweater would remain there even if I was freezing. Nobody ever noticed. Thank you for reading my paragraph of a comment. 🙂

[@MichelleMason-qu9hf]

It's so helpful to know you are not alone with this struggle. I've had exactly this since I was a teenager. It meant years of starving myself and obsessive exercise. I still think I'm a chunky chick with enormous legs when looking in the mirror. And when your loved ones unintentionally dismiss your experiences it just makes it worse. I hope this lady and anyone identifying with this got the help to realise how truly beautiful they are 🫶

[@hayleyturner7733]

This makes me feel kind of good because I feel just like her and she’s so beautiful to me but she doesn’t think she’s beautiful. So maybe I am beautiful to other people but I just don’t think it

[@ajtrimmthorns]

Love this! You're beautiful, Hayley!

[@Demi.d3mi]

Im pretty sure thats the case

[@moonkandiie2273]

It honestly does the opposite for me. To me it just kinda enforces in my mind that she's conventionally attractive and has a body that I'm very envious of. She's able to wear sleeveless tops and shorts and crop tops without people staring at her wondering "why is she wearing that? She's too fat to wear that." I don't mean that my problem with myself is harder to deal with than hers, i just feel like beautiful, skinny people always see something bad about themselves while in my mind i feel like they were born beautiful and i was just a mistake that happened to roam this earth.

[@sunshineforever7194]

You ARE beautiful even if you don't feel it 💖

[@DylanRomanov]

I’ve had people tell me I was the most beautiful person they ever saw and people who have said I look like an ugly dog . I’ve just decided it’s somewhere in the middle . My bdd makes me feel like I have to be exceptionally beautiful at all times , yet I never actually feel attractive. I feel like my nose is so big and ugly.

[@medulgurlroxx885]

I have bdd it's a living nightmare not knowing what you really look like.

[@galaxystar3450]

Same

[@ordinaryhand]

wow. this is how i've understood my problem for many years but i've never heard anyone else but me say this. i really have no idea what i look like, i only understand my appearance in relation to other people, such as if i'm fatter, skinnier, better skin, worse skin, i can only know how i look by thinking i'm between X and Y. it really is awful - i think i am unattractive, but i don't think most other people really do - and i don't like being looked at.

[@Twinkie989]

I tried to go to barre classes to challenge myself. I had to stop going because I could see, in the mirror, that I was the thinnest one there- but it didn’t compute in my brain and I felt like the rooms was spinning.

[@turtletail313]

Same. As I grew up I isolated myself and became incredibly shy as I started to hate my appearance more and more. For a long time most people knew me as the shy kid who never talked, but what they didn't know is that I felt like I didn't deserve to talk because my ugliness rendered anything I said worthless. I feel like I've wasted so much of my life and potential to BDD, stagnating any development of an interesting personality because of being so constantly preoccupied with my flaws. A while ago I was shocked when my friends said that some boys noticed how "pretty" I was and that it was a "shame" I was so quiet and never put myself out there. I couldn't fathom how they thought that because in my mind I'm always the ugliest person in the room. BDD is confusing, it messes with your sense of reality and even when you know it's doing so, you still can't perceive yourself any differently. I wish more than anything that I didn't suffer with this because I might be such a different, self-confident, and successful person today. It truly took over every aspect of my life that I can never get back.

[@BlBBLE]

I always wonder what i actually look like. It’s especially hard not knowing what you look like and you start questioning what is real and what’s not.

[@isadora5826]

This is so true. And whenever I take a picture that looks good, I think I'm catfishing people. It doesn't feel like I look like that. Some people tell me it looks exactly the same, but one person said it didn't, so I'm stuck with it. I can't even believe myself when I look in the mirror and I think I'm pretty.

[@ametrineambrosia4929]

You remind me of a glinting gold locket and smooth shell beads

[@McCoyThane]

Ive felt this way, many times. You described this so well. I’m sorry you’re going through it ❤️

[@ABeautyAddict]

I don’t post my “good pictures” because I’m afraid I don’t. Look like that in real life.

[@gurnoorgill804]

I always fell the same

[@jobless_mar]

Wow I do the exact same, had no idea others did this too

[@kellymcphaul2793]

Ever since I saw a picture of myself from an angle that I hadn’t seen before. It was decades ago and I have been obsessed with it ever since.

[@Junior-rz2gx]

I was 15 when i really noticed my side profile and in my head i was like "its that how i look?" i felt disgusted. Idk if it has anything to do with that tho.

[@queen_of_ravens]

Same. In my case it was a silhouette, in arts class - where somebody draws your shadow.

[@eritreanism]

Same with me, my side picture triggered my bdd

[@amyriley878]

@@Junior-rz2gx I was 11 haha 😀👍 great fun being insecure about my nose for my whole teenage years

[@TheVanillaCows]

Me too! I was 14 and I saw my profile in one of my friend’s bathroom’s double mirrors. I went out to the group and told them I was shocked at how big my nose was and how I never noticed it before and they just giggled. That was 9 years ago, and Last October I had a nose job because ever since that day I’ve hated my nose

[@laverndowsley8850]

the brain is so complex. it can be truly brilliant or punish us with ridiculous, pointless and unnecessary disorders.

[@LoXena]

Those disorders that have been created by our society... :/

[@johoneyman3699]

miaskittens D mental illness is ridiculous??!!!

[@KC_Lake]

You're so right

[@jillianelise5]

This!!!

[@Yellow-Rose]

Indeed. It's fascinating and very sad at the same time. My heart goes out to them.

[@realslimcandy5361]

It feels weird how im the least judgemental person in the world like i literally wont care about your looks but i notice everything bad towards my body.

[@aprioriontoast704]

That is because we have a sense of self-ownership and sense of responsibility over our own body and looks, because of that we feel more pressure and face more judgement from ourselves not because we ourselves are shallow and judgemental but because we fear the world is and we feel we have some sort of duty to present well . It's like we feel we have a duty to present a certain way or we feel or we feel a hyper sensitive fear of being rejected. Something as personal as our self-image that we have to project out to the world hits us hard, we carry it around we us , we own it and we are responsible for it and even though we ourselves have no rational reason to judge ourselves physically we are put in that position by the fears and pressure of presentation ourselves to the world

[@justineauger9939]

Same here

[@angelcamay947]

You judge yourself

[@vampire_money99]

literally. I say that I like all bodies and everyone has their qualities but then cant apply that to myself. I feel like a hypocrite but I really cant help it

[@nctzen_dazzler3716]

@@vampire_money99 Relatable

[@loaflove5]

She’s so brave. As someone with BDD the idea that my body could be immortalized in film terrifies me. Bless her for showing her story.

[@JR-lx5es]

i was thinking of how brave she was to express her own insecurities and feelings. personally i could never unless my face wasn’t showing

[@HoyyDenden]

having bdd and social anxiety at the same is noir joke

[@kamariatoure42]

Imagine wanting to badly become an actress smh

[@saartjeh]

Same

[@nina5562]

I am literally an actress with bdd , it is utterly exhausting , I cannot watch myself without feeling sick .

[@lilmissmonsterrr]

They made us think beauty was everything, and now they call us sick for believing it.

[@TheCrownedSurvivalist]

This is absolutely true. I love how you said this. Short and sweet, but says everything.

[@Lilmisscostumedrama]

I know right, there is clearly “pretty priviledge”. I can prove it. So they wonder why we get these disorders.

[@MisFellatio]

Who is "they"?

[@nandlabh6349]

That's absolutely true. Thank God I outgrew that since my 20s ...but I know people at the age of 60s who are this level of superficial. I too have image issues but not because of myself but bcoz of my parents,my sibling n ppl around me who think malnourished individuals are good looking .

[@ginamontana5356]

@@nandlabh6349 what??? This has nothing to do with being “superficial”. Did you skip the part of the video explaining the brain activity and eye tracking? The test subject could sit right next to someone who was similar in shape and build and never think the same things about their body as she does her own. It is quite literally seeing deformity and abnormality that does not exist. Once upon a time, people thought eating disorders were “just” displays of superficial behavior as well.

[@flxwercxrpse1871]

Sometimes i feel so claustrophobic in my own body and i want to rip my skin off and start scratching at it. I felt so desperate to get out of my skin. It’s a overwhelming and horrible feeling.

[@calc9670]

same omg i am tired of being in my body

[@TechnoScorpion2137]

same

[@keys.and.knives]

Oh my god, I thought I was that only one who got that feeling. I just feel so trapped in this body. I can't leave my own head. I'm a prisoner in here. It's like my body is a machine that was built wrong.

[@ametrineambrosia4929]

@@keys.and.knives 😭😭

[@ametrineambrosia4929]

Do you ever feel like an alien? I do.

[@elizabeth-gd8eg]

im pretty sure i have body dysmorphia even though im not diagnosed, and for me at least, i always notice the features in other people that im most insecure about. like for example, i really dislike my nose, so when i meet a new person i usually notice their nose first. its kind of like im comparing my self to them, and it makes me feel bad because i see people with perfect noses and compare it to my own and then i feel awful about myself

[@aeahaha9268]

Me too. And it's not only with strangers but like my friends, I'm always looking at the features I hate in myself and noticing how pretty they look compared to me and it just consumes me

[@imaweeb7761]

elizabethッ same I hate my stupid jaw :(

[@triplea2072]

elizabethッ wow I have the same problem with my nose, and it got so bad that my insecurity spread to the rest of my face. Now I pick apart every last detail of my face and others faces and I do the same thing, I compare myself to others constantly

[@rosaramahi1651]

elizabethッ same 😔

[@bunnybaby975]

elizabethッ me too!!! Or if their nose isn’t great I still feel like it’s better some how

[@susankoech]

My confidence went up to 43% when i started wearing masks when going out. Its usually at -17%.

[@ok-oj4my]

wow, specific.

[@dc9067]

Mine is at -69%

[@PJTabitha]

same here, when I am wearing a mask I sort of don't worry that much about people

[@tinedulom2472]

True I 100% agree

[@omnium_gatherum]

Same! My social anxiety has gotten so much better it's wild

[@cheebak1615]

This is so interesting. There's a lot more to BDD than people disliking their body.

[@lyssc2755]

It's a difficult mental issue to manage. I've never been formally diagnosed despite having all the same experiences, as a lot of psychologists don't consider it anything other than anxiety or are scared to diagnose it because of links with eating disorders. Quite frankly, they don't know how to categorise it. It's rather insulting when it is considered just being self conscious, when half the time you can't even see a slight bit of reality.

[@kenyanqueen.6674]

Like?

[@camtheunicorpse2217]

too many people think it's just low self esteem issues when it is literally that people can't see what they truly look like, there is a huge different and it is scary to look in the mirror

[@camihl3841]

Yeah it's waaaay more than just that

[@exobutterss1183]

exactly