A study suggests that people worrying too much about how they look may be experiencing a psychological disorder.
It is a normal reaction for people to be bothered for a few minutes by blemishes, a pair of thick and shapeless eyebrows, and an unflattering belly. However, for those suffering from body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), or body dysmorphia, a whole day would not be enough for them to worry about and despise their appearance.
People who have this kind of anxiety disorder tend to become preoccupied with a feature that he believes to be ugly or imperfect, demanding a huge amount of time fussing and self-loathing. Moreover, according to Robin Rosenberg, a clinical psychologist and co-author of the psychology textbook Abnormal Psychology, people suffering from BDD tend to repeatedly undergo clinical surgeries in their belief that these procedures would make them look better.
The new edition of the mental health manual Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) released in May 22, includes a new emphasis on the compulsions associated with the disorder such as repeatedly combing one's hair to cover up an imagined scalp problem or spending hours applying and reapplying makeup to cover a few pimples. This led for Rosenberg to conclude that, because of this change, simply being obsessed with a perceived defect is no longer enough for a diagnosis.
Rosenberg pointed out that BDD falls toward the extreme end of a series of behavior that focuses on physical appearance. Women trying on several outfits before when going out on a date is normal; the same goes with men spending time in front of mirrors trying to cover their bald spots by combing over their hair. Likewise, arriving to a decision of getting a plastic surgery is not necessarily pathological.
A BDD patient is someone who perceives that some aspect of his body as significantly "defective," even if the "defect" is minor, if it exists at all. In addition to that, the perception about the defect in the physical feature(s) is already causing a major misery and/or impairs with his occupational and social interactions.
