Search Content

Surgery can be lifesaving. Surgery is often needed and can, for many conditions and situations, be a game changer. But more often than not, a surgical procedure for someone with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) will not help. It could potentially relieve the person of their symptoms for a short amount of time but it cannot treat or cure the underlying disorder.

"At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I found myself overwhelmed with anxiety. I was rightfully worried about the transition of over 500 individuals and families to telehealth... To my very pleasant surprise, my anxieties did not come to fruition." Read Dr. Rosmarin's findings about how in person and telehealth therapy helped prevent patient's anxiety during the pandemic.

Telehealth allows for increased access to care, providing a flexible option for families, and allows for exposure work in the home setting where compulsions may be the strongest. Yet, telehealth does not come without challenges.

In 2009 I decided to step out of my comfort zone and open a solo private practice. I’ve enjoyed the last 15 years in private practice, and looking back, there are some choices I made that were on point, some that were errors in judgements, but all were learning experiences.

There can be confusion when differentiating between body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and eating disorders (EDs). They both involve pre-occupying appearance-related thoughts and repetitive behaviours, but are treated differently.

Now that telehealth and in-person services are available, what are important factors for clinicians, youth, and families to consider?

The pandemic set a new era into motion. When the world went into lockdown in 2020, people learned to fear the outside and any social interaction, becoming extremely fearful of contracting the deadly virus.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder is an unhealthy preoccupation with not just the look, shape, or feel of one’s body or a specific part, but the shame one experiences in the appearance of their body, or a certain aspect of it, really hits the mark. BDD is a chronic condition that can be debilitating and can disrupt various aspects of the person’s day-to-day life for years.

Many mental health professionals are now conducting patient visits virtually. I am one of the only psychologists left in my building who has stayed behind to continue in-person work while abiding by COVID protocols. Since our practice specializes in refractory OCD spectrum disorders and anxiety disorders a lot of the work done at our outpatient clinic requires in-vivo exposures, which cannot be replicated on Zoom.

In BDD, people are tormented by obsessive thoughts associated with a part or parts of their physical appearance being flawed in some way, yet these flaws tend not to be noticeable to anyone but themselves.

ADAA Member Eda Gorbis, PhD, LMFT shares information about the various forms of OCD and the best treatment options.