When concern for appearance becomes obsession

BY LOOKING AT THE GLASS, most of us see things that we would like to improve. Therefore, we fix our clothes, we retouch our hairstyle or we use some cosmetic, and then we resume our daily activities. The desire to present good looks is normal and appropriate; However, in the case of some people, the desire to achieve it reaches extremes, giving rise to a disease known as body dysmorphic disorder, or BDD.

The Merck Diagnostic and Treatment Manual defines it as follows: "Concern for suffering a defect in the physical aspect that causes significant discomfort or social, labor or other important deterioration of the subject's activity." * Since the assumption is usually imagined defect or exaggerate some minimal imperfection, the perception that the patient has of himself is also called imaginary ugliness.

Professor J. Kevin Thompson, of the University of South Florida (USA), affirms that the TDC is not very frequent, because "it may affect between 1 and 2% of the general population and between 10 and 15% of external psychiatric patients. " However, he adds: "Some researchers believe that the number of cases is increasing, partly due to the improvement in the methods of diagnosis and detection of the problem, and partly to the growing obsession of society for the image." Although it can occur at any age, the disorder usually begins in adolescence. In adulthood it seems to affect men and women equally, in stark contrast to eating disorders, which are much more common among the female population.

Obsessive concern with appearance, typical of people with BDD, usually leads them to look compulsively in the mirror, and in some cases, to social isolation. What is worse, "the discomfort and disability associated with this disorder can lead to repeated hospitalizations and lead to suicidal behavior," explains The Merck Manual. It is not surprising that some of these patients resort to cosmetic surgery. Dr. Katharine Phillips, who has written a book about this disorder, makes the following comment: "I usually do not recommend that people operate. The surgery is irreversible, and, in any case, the majority of those who suffer from BDD think that it has not helped them. "*

Occasionally, the TDC occurs at a very young age. The George Street Journal * reports on the case of a six-year-old boy "who thought he had yellow teeth and a lot of belly, and was unhappy with his hair. Nobody else perceived such 'defects'. Each morning he spent an hour combing his hair, and if he did not achieve a 'perfect' result, he would get his head wet again and repeat the process, so he would often be late for school. " On one occasion, when he arrived at the doctor's office, he bent down so that he could see himself on the chrome surface of a chair.

Magazines, newspapers and television ads bombard people with images of the ideal body. The logic of the advertisers is simple: if they present a certain image as the model to follow, people will spend their money imitating it. If a little pressure from the group is added to this, and some other thoughtless comments from family and friends, it is not surprising that there are people who begin to have a distorted opinion about their appearance. * Of course, that unbalanced attitude is far from it. a lot of being an obsessive psychiatric disorder.

There is a misconception that if a person is not beautiful or elegant, others will not be interested in it. But people do not usually choose their friends for the physical aspect. It is true that this could influence a principle, but the factors that truly consolidate a friendship are the personality, moral standards and values. In a way, each one of us is like a book. As attractive as the cover is, if the content is boring, the reader will leave it at once. On the other hand, if the book is interesting, people will continue reading it without worrying about the cover. So, why not focus on our personal qualities?