Can seeking medical attention become a compulsive behavior for those with BDD?
So really, it's cosmetic surgeons and dermatologists - those are the doctors that people visit the most, because those are the people that can help change their appearance in some way. And, sometimes when they go, they go and they'll get a response like I don't see what you're concerned about. I don't see the acne, or I don't see the blemishes. And so then they'll need to go to another one, because they think OK, well, for whatever reason that person said that it wasn't there. Usually it doesn't register with them that oh, maybe I don't have anything wrong with me. The more that there's some other reason that the person wouldn't give it to them. Or the person doesn't understand them in some way. So they go to the next doctor. And usually they'll end up finding a doctor that will give them something. And even if the doctor doesn't think there's something there, they may, the doctor may think OK well maybe if this person takes this medication they'll feel better, because they'll feel like the acne is gone, whatever, I don't see it but maybe they'll feel better. Without knowing that that actually really makes it worse, because then when they get the medication they feel like ok this reinforces the idea that there is something wrong. That doctor thought there is something wrong with me. Or they go to a cosmetic surgeon and have the same experience, where the cosmetic surgeon may not ask questions about why the person wants this thing changed when they don't see a defect. And then, by getting the surgery, it's reinforcing in the patient's mind that oh there was something defective and the surgeon thought there was something defective that needed fixing. So, not to mention when they feel not satisfied by whatever treatment they get, which is very common, they will usually go back either to the same person or to a different person.
