[thesheriff443]

Originally Posted by x-evenstar-x

I wish he would believe that people think he is good looking.

we all have hang ups, but its good that he is getting help.

[x-evenstar-x]

Originally Posted by thesheriff443

we all have hang ups, but its good that he is getting help.

I know everyone has hang ups, it just so happens for some it's very extreme though and it's heart breaking to see something like this destroy someone.

And yeah, it is :-)

[thesheriff443]

Originally Posted by ChristMASS EFFECT

They still don't know enough about BDD to find a way to 'cure' it. The best way at the moment is CBT and SSRI's to hopefully curb obsessive tendencies and negative self image. For a lot of people it can improve their lives. It will have some effect on me for the rest of my life. How much I don't know yet.

For anyone reading who thinks they have BDD (1-2% of the population according to some estimates) then it's definitely advisable to see your GP and get yourself in treatment cos it can get worse over time and it has one of the highest suicide rates going.

good advice, we all have some ocd traits, for sum they are just a fleeting habit but for some it can take over your life.

[thesheriff443]

Originally Posted by x-evenstar-x

I know everyone has hang ups, it just so happens for some it's very extreme though and it's heart breaking to see something like this destroy someone.

And yeah, it is :-)

oh course, like sm as mentioned a lot cant live with this condition and take their own lifes.
it takes great strength to seek help and even more to talk about it on here.

[Kyle]

Originally Posted by thesheriff443

oh course, like sm as mentioned a lot cant live with this condition and take their own lifes.
it takes great strength to seek help and even more to talk about it on here.

In a way I kinda glad Redway brought it up. This site gets a fair bit of traffic there will be members on here and guests even that may read it and think 'sh*t that's me' or something.

[x-evenstar-x]

Originally Posted by thesheriff443

oh course, like sm as mentioned a lot cant live with this condition and take their own lifes.
it takes great strength to seek help and even more to talk about it on here.

It is a very brave step seeking help, it's not easy. Also like you say openly talking about it here too is a great strength!

It's a devastating condition and one that is very unknown, more research needs to take place.

[thesheriff443]

Originally Posted by ChristMASS EFFECT

In a way I kinda glad Redway brought it up. This site gets a fair bit of traffic there will be members on here and guests even that may read it and think 'sh*t that's me' or something.

very true sm, you may even want to do your own separate thread, with a clearer title, that's not taking nothing away from redway

[AnnieK]

Is it so something that you've always had Kyle or is something that has started later?

[x-evenstar-x]

Originally Posted by Angel~Annie

Is it so something that you've always had Kyle or is something that has started later?

I guess Kyle can tell you about himself but in general it's something developed by outside influences in our lives and it commonly surfaces when a person is in their teens.

[thesheriff443]

Originally Posted by x-evenstar-x

It is a very brave step seeking help, it's not easy. Also like you say openly talking about it here too is a great strength!

It's a devastating condition and one that is very unknown, more research needs to take place.

its under the mental health umbrella, it all boils down to funding.
but more needs to be done.

[x-evenstar-x]

Originally Posted by thesheriff443

its under the mental health umbrella, it all boils down to funding.
but more needs to be done.

That's true. Why does everything cost money!! Lol

[AnnieK]

Originally Posted by x-evenstar-x

I guess Kyle can tell you about himself but in general it's something developed by outside influences in our lives and it commonly surfaces when a person is in their teens.

Ah right, so it is like anorexia then? It's awful that not more is known about this..

[Kyle]

Originally Posted by Angel~Annie

Is it so something that you've always had Kyle or is something that has started later?

It starts for most people in adolescence Annie and it did for me too. It started for me with the odd comment about my nose then an obsession over that developed and before you know it every part of your body gets heavily scrutinised.

[x-evenstar-x]

Originally Posted by Angel~Annie

Ah right, so it is like anorexia then? It's awful that not more is known about this..

Emm in a way, it's more similar to OCD than anorexia in the way the mind works with it all but I suppose it's similar with seeing distorted images of ourselves.

[AnnieK]

Originally Posted by ChristMASS EFFECT

It starts for most people in adolescence Annie and it did for me too. It started for me with the odd comment about my nose then an obsession over that developed and before you know it every part of your body gets heavily scrutinised.

Well, I hope your therapy goes someway to allowing you to see what other people see....a good looking guy, with nothing to scrutinise. I guess it's an uphill struggle though? It's great that you can about it on here, as you've said it coukd just help someone who is struggling and thinking they are the only person who feels this way...

[AnnieK]

Originally Posted by x-evenstar-x

Emm in a way, it's more similar to OCD than anorexia in the way the mind works with it all but I suppose it's similar with seeing distorted images of ourselves.

Yeah, sorry, I meant like most anorexics start in adolescence, once puberty hits and body image becomes a big deal...

[x-evenstar-x]

Originally Posted by Angel~Annie

Yeah, sorry, I meant like most anorexics start in adolescence, once puberty hits and body image becomes a big deal...

Ahhh I see, yeah.

[Natalie.]

It's great that you can talk about this on here I'm always interested in reading about mental health

[Kyle]

Originally Posted by Angel~Annie

Well, I hope your therapy goes someway to allowing you to see what other people see....a good looking guy, with nothing to scrutinise. I guess it's an uphill struggle though? It's great that you can about it on here, as you've said it coukd just help someone who is struggling and thinking they are the only person who feels this way...

Statistically there probably will be.

I wish Redway was still online I'd love to ask him or her how they know about it because like you said not a lot is known about it in the general public.

[Kyle]

Originally Posted by Merrissey

It's great that you can talk about this on here I'm always interested in reading about mental health

Me too. It's shocking how many different mental disorders there are.

[x-evenstar-x]

Here's a link to a really good article that will give you a good idea of what it's like. You don't need to read it just look at the pictures, they show images of people of how they believe they look and how they actually look.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/be...hemselves.html

[Z]

Oh definitely. If one half of the couple truly believes that they are ugly and therefore not deserving of the relationship; or if a single person believes that they are ugly and therefore not deserving of any relationship, I think that it would take someone with a lot of determination and patience to try and break down that belief and help that person believe in themselves - and nowadays, in our society where there is a very strong, pervasive culture that insists you must look like something out of a magazine or you're ugly and worthless; most people do not have the time or patience to wait for the reserved, sad and unhappy guy or girl to come around and realise that they aren't all the horrible things they believe that they are; they'd rather chase someone who doesn't have that hang up because it's less hassle.

It's horrible, really, when you think about it. I'm glad you're getting help Kyle I don't remember what you look like but you seem like a really cool guy and you shouldn't be unhappy!

[Redway]

Originally Posted by ChristMASS EFFECT

Statistically there probably will be.

I wish Redway was still online I'd love to ask him or her how they know about it because like you said not a lot is known about it in the general public.

Apologies for replying late... only just seen this. Anyway, I tend to disregard media sources for portraying hyperbolic, offensive ideas about mental illness but there is the odd good story up on that sort of thing. But I've always been quite interested in psychological matters, so have kind of done my own research about it.

Views on mental health to the general public are indeed often ill-informed and stereotypical but I find there's an increasingly available amount of awareness on it; there was a show called Bedlam a couple of weeks back, featuring one of the oldest and infamous asylums and how it's now being used to help people with serious issues. Don't think there was BDD but certainly the likes of manic depression and extreme OCD, which was a real eye-opener go me and the unfortunate stigma they still face in their everyday lives.

There was quite some focus on anxiety disorders (such as OCD), so perhaps body dysmorphic disorder fits into that?

[Kyle]

Originally Posted by Redway

Apologies for replying late... only just seen this. Anyway, I tend to disregard media sources for portraying hyperbolic, offensive ideas about mental illness but there is the odd good story up on that sort of thing. But I've always been quite interested in psychological matters, so have kind of done my own research about it.

Views on mental health to the general public are indeed often ill-informed and stereotypical but I find there's an increasingly available amount of awareness on it; there was a show called Bedlam a couple of weeks back, featuring one of the oldest and infamous asylums and how it's now being used to help people with serious issues. Don't think there was BDD but certainly the likes of manic depression and extreme OCD, which was a real eye-opener go me and the unfortunate stigma they still face in their everyday lives.

There was quite some focus on anxiety disorders (such as OCD), so perhaps body dysmorphic disorder fits into that?

It's alright mate no worries.

Yeh there's definitely more awareness coming through, there was a specifically BDD program called 'too ugly for love' which showcased a few people and their lives. Unfortunately the gentleman on there who was convinced he had dark rings around his eyes and used to post on a BDD forum I was on took his own life early this year. I've never been able to watch more than a few minutes the documentary actually too emotional and close to the bone for me funnily enough.

BDD and OCD used to come under the same umbrella in the NHS though very recently it's changed, I'll have to ask my therapist where the NICE guidelines have put it now but basically every leaflet and booklet I've ever been given has been for OCD and BDD.