Ruby-Jessica Smith

My Body Dysmorphia and Social Media

Body insecurity is common among most of us, maybe our shape is something we don't like, it could be our face symmetry or skin issues. For some they can "cope" with their insecurities but for others like me this becomes an obsession and debilitating to their daily lives. Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is described by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition as a "diagnosis involving distress due to a perceived physical anomaly, such as a scar, the shape or size of a body part, or some other personal feature". OCDaction.org state that "According to the NICE guidelines, it is estimated that approximately 0.5-0.7% of the UK population have BDD. Clinical samples tend to have an equal proportion of men and women across all age groups. In children and young people, body dysmorphic disorder usually has an early-adolescence onset at about age 13. Although symptoms can be found in children as young as 5, it is rare for children under 12 to be diagnosed with BDD. "