{"id":5730,"date":"2012-02-01T23:51:03","date_gmt":"2012-02-01T23:51:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.homeobook.com\/?p=5730"},"modified":"2022-01-05T12:26:57","modified_gmt":"2022-01-05T12:26:57","slug":"body-dysmorphic-disorder-homeopathy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homeobook.com\/body-dysmorphic-disorder-homeopathy\/","title":{"rendered":"Body dysmorphic disorder and Homeopathy"},"content":{"rendered":"

A behavioral problem of modern word needing consideration
\nD .Anoop Kumar Srivastav <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of all\u201d?
\n\u201cAm I dark\u201d? \u201cIs my nose crooked\u201d? \u201cDo my legs look short\u201d?<\/p>\n

Some of us do question ourselves, though occasionally about our body image. \u201c30-40% of the population has some kind of dissatisfaction with their bodies\u201d says Carol Watkins, M.D. of the Northern County Psychiatric Association in Baltimore, Maryland. But some of them get really preoccupied that there is something wrong with a particular part of the body. This 1-2% of individual suffers from Body dysmorphic disorder or BDD.<\/p>\n

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is defined by the DSM-IV-TR as, \u201ca condition marked by excessive preoccupation with an imaginary or minor defect in a facial feature or localized part of the body.\u201d The diagnostic criteria specify that the condition must be sufficiently severe to cause a decline in the patient’s social, occupational, or educational functioning.<\/p>\n

Body dysmorphic disorder<\/strong> (BDD) is a type of somatoform disorder characterized by an excessive preoccupation with a real or imagined defect in one\u2019s own physical appearance. People with BDD have a distorted or exaggerated view of how they look and are obsessed with actual physical characteristics or perceived flaws, such as a certain facial feature or imperfections of the skin. They often think of themselves as ugly or disfigured. People with BDD have difficulty in controlling negative thoughts about their appearance, in spite of being assured that they look fine or that their flaws are not noticeable.<\/p>\n

Most people at some time wish to change or improve some aspect of their physical appearance, but, people suffering from BDD get so much obsessed with the idea, that they are unable to interact with others or for fear of ridicule and humiliation.<\/p>\n

BDD combines obsessive and compulsive aspects<\/strong>, which has linked it to the OCD spectrum disorders among psychologists. People with BDD may engage in compulsive mirror checking or in some cases mirror avoidance, they may spent hours planning about camouflaging the \u2018problem\u2019 feature. In severe cases, they think themselves to be unspeakably hideous and so shun all social contacts to become home bound. The disorder is linked to an unusually high suicidal rate among all mental disorders.<\/p>\n

History of BDD<\/strong>
\nBDD was first documented in 1886 by the researcher Morselli, the condition being known as \u201cDysmorphophobia\u201d. The word dysmorphic comes from two Greek words, dys that means \u2018bad\u2019, or \u2018ugly\u2019, and morphos that means \u2018shape\u2019 or \u2018form\u2019.<\/p>\n

In his practice Freud eventually had a patient Sergei Pankejeff\u2019, nicknamed \u2018the Wolf Man\u2019 who was constantly preoccupied with his nose, hindering his routine life. This disorder has been referred to as \u201cimagined ugliness\u201d (Barlow-2006).<\/p>\n

The disorder was first defined as a formal diagnostic category by the DSM-III-RIN 1987.<\/p>\n

Incidence<\/strong>
\nIt is estimated that BDD affects 1-2% of the population. The usual age of onset of BDD is late childhood or early adolescence, average age of patients diagnosed with the disorder is 17 years. Most research and treatment studies to date have been done on adults aged 35 and older. It has been diagnosed in 1.9% of non-clinical patients and 12% of psychiatric out patients. The DSM-IV-TR gives a range of 5-40% of patients in clinical mental health settings diagnosed with anxiety or depressive disorders to be diagnosed with BDD. The prevalence of BDD is equal in men and women, and causes chronic social anxiety for those suffering from the disorder.<\/p>\n

Causes <\/strong>
\nThe cause of BDD is unclear. However, researchers believe that a number of factors may be involved, and they fall into two major categories. This are-
\n1. Neurobiological causes
\n2. Psychosocial causes
\n
\nNeurobiological causes:<\/strong> Research indicates that the patients diagnosed with BDD have level of Serotonin (a neurotransmitter) lower than normal. Low serotonin levels are associated with depression and other mood disorder.<\/p>\n

Psychosocial causes<\/strong>: Another important factor in the development of BDD is the influence of the mass media in developed and developing countries, particularly the role of advertisements in glorifying “perfect” men and women image. Impressionable teenagers and adolescents absorb the message that anything short of physical perfection is unacceptable. They may then develop distorted perceptions of their own faces and bodies.<\/p>\n

Children whose parents are themselve obsessed with appearance, dieting, or bodybuilding; or who are highly critical of their children’s looks, are at greater risk of developing BDD.<\/p>\n

In some cases a history of childhood trauma or abuse may emerge in form of obsession about a part of the face or body. For example, an adolescent who suffered in childhood by physically abusive parents may develop an obsession for the need of muscular power in his later life.<\/p>\n

Signs and symptoms<\/strong>:
\nThe signs and symptoms of body dysmorphic disorder include:<\/p>\n