Body Image, Mental Health, and the Importance of Self-Care

Send us Fan MailThe Twitter hashtag #theysaid recently went viral with the premise of women sharing hurtful and damaging statements said to them over the years.#theysaidThis Twitter hashtag recently went viral with the premise of women sharing hurtful and damaging statements said to them over the years."You'd be pretty if you lost weight.""No one likes fat girls.""I've seen you put away more pasta than an NFL linebacker.""I didn't know they made bras that small.""You should eat a sandwich."Some individuals can easily shake off such comments, but others can be impacted in a life-long damaging way. Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is often a devastating result.According to the Mayo Clinic, some symptoms of BDD include: Being extremely preoccupied with a perceived flaw in appearance that to others can't be seen or appears minor.Strong belief that you have a defect in your appearance that makes you ugly or deformed.Belief that others take special notice of your appearance in a negative way or mock you.Engaging in behaviors aimed at fixing or hiding the perceived flaw that are difficult to resist or control, such as frequently checking the mirror, grooming or skin picking.Attempting to hide perceived flaws with styling, makeup or clothes.Constantly comparing your appearance with others.Always seeking reassurance about your appearance from others.Having perfectionist tendencies.Seeking frequent cosmetic procedures with little satisfaction.Avoiding social situations.Being so preoccupied with appearance that it causes major distress or problems in your social life, work, school or other areas of functioning.The disorder can even be as severe as entertaining suicidal thoughts.Joyce Knudsen, PhD, joins host Lisa Davis to explain what body dysmorphic disorder is, as well as ways to address the disorder and other body image struggles.