How can BDD destroy lives?
Will BDD can really destroy lives in a lot of different ways and usually it does in multiple ways for people. So for example I mean taking their work function, people with BDD, because they think so much about their appearance, it is constantly on their mind, they had a lot of difficulty concentrating at work. Usually they can not focus on what they are doing because they are having these thoughts. They may feel very self-conscious at work constantly thinking about what other people are thinking about them, or sometimes even believing that other people are laughing at them when they are not. Or they are doing research on the Internet about how they could get a cosmetic surgery to change their appearance. So definitely it can significantly affect work function. They might not even show up to work. Even friendships it can affect because they may not feel comfortable around their friends because of how they look. So they can isolate. Not go out of their homes. Other things even with family members they may have a difficult time because they may not feet comfortable in terms of their appearance around their family members. Where they may ask their family members for reassurance about their appearance, which causes conflicts. Because a family member just keeps getting tired of saying you look normal. There is nothing wrong with your nose. And then on top of that, they experience a lot of distress. So they often get very depressed. About 75% will meet criteria for major depressive disorder with the body dysmorphic disorder. Almost always as a result of the body dysmorphic disorder. And they feel ashamed, and they feel anxious. And so internally, they go through a lot of emotional turmoil because of it as well.
