Symptoms

How do I know if I have body dysmorphic disorder?

Here are questions that might help you decide if you are experiencing symptoms of BDD:

• Are you preoccupied with a specific aspect of your appearance that you believe is ugly or defective?
• Does this preoccupation cause you a lot of distress, or significantly affect your social life, your ability to work, your job performance, or other important areas of your life?
• Do you feel anxious, ashamed, depressed, or disgusted by specific aspects of your appearance?
• Do you spend more than an hour per day thinking about these specific aspects of your appearance?
• Are there behaviors do in regards to your appearance concerns, such as checking or avoiding mirrors, trying to hide parts of your appearance, or spending a long time getting ready to leave your residence?
• Have you seen doctors about changing your appearance significantly, by getting a cosmetic surgery or dermatology procedure?

If you answered yes to several of these questions, you might have BDD and should seek a full diagnostic evaluation.