BDD and Social Phobia

street

Hi, i've been suffering from what i've just found out is called BDD (Body Dysmorphic Disorder) and social phobia for about 10 yrs. I'm 33 and it has really messed up a lot of my 20s and early 30s - depression, severe anxiety, panic attacks, difficulty leaving the house, looking in the mirror and interacting with people...

Up until now i didn't realise that what i have is a disorder. Its ruining my life i've wasted many years because of it. Negative self-image is the main problem and this had led to the depression, anxiety and so on.

Antidepressants didn't really help me because the problem stems from my way of thinking so i gave them up. Relaxant tablets helped me deal with the anxiety and panic attacks a little better, but gps won't prescribe them on an long-term basis as they're addictive. Counselling helped a little, not much, but i may try again.

I've managed to maintain a social life since all this began, have always had attention from girls and been told by people that i'm very good looking. But even with this and constant reasurrance from friends and family i can never accept how i look.

I love life, but am so drained, exhausted and basically p*ssed off from this condition (and some other life problems) that i wonder if its worth living like this. It takes a lot of work to appear confident or normal in daily life when you feel ugly/different, anxious and alone. I drink a lot these days to help relax and and forget things for a while. Not the answer, i know..

I'm not expecting any miracles to happen from posting here but some general advice, discussion or input from other BDD sufferers would be great. Apologies for such a long post, its the first time i've mentioned this to anyone besides friends and family.

Here's some links with info on BDD mainly for anyone reading this who has it but but doesn't realise. If you have a problem with looking in mirrors/reflections you should definitely check them out because that can be one of the symptoms.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_dysmorphic_disorder
http://www.medicinenet.com/body_dysmorphic_disorder/article.htm
http://www.iampanicked.com/anxiety-articles/bdd-treatment.htm

hope they help

Good luck!

JuliusCaesar

ocdireland.org runs support groups for people with trich and bdd. Might be useful to have a look there. And maybe here too.

MrDarcy

street wrote: »

Hi, i've been suffering from what i've just found out is called BDD (Body Dysmorphic Disorder) and social phobia for about 10 yrs. I'm 33 and it has really messed up a lot of my 20s and early 30s - depression, severe anxiety, panic attacks, difficulty leaving the house, looking in the mirror and interacting with people...

Up until now i didn't realise that what i have is a disorder. Its ruining my life i've wasted many years because of it. Negative self-image is the main problem and this had led to the depression, anxiety and so on.

Antidepressants didn't really help me because the problem stems from my way of thinking so i gave them up. Relaxant tablets helped me deal with the anxiety and panic attacks a little better, but gps won't prescribe them on an long-term basis as they're addictive. Counselling helped a little, not much, but i may try again.

I've managed to maintain a social life since all this began, have always had attention from girls and been told by people that i'm very good looking. But even with this and constant reasurrance from friends and family i can never accept how i look.

I love life, but am so drained, exhausted and basically p*ssed off from this condition (and some other life problems) that i wonder if its worth living like this. It takes a lot of work to appear confident or normal in daily life when you feel ugly/different, anxious and alone. I drink a lot these days to help relax and and forget things for a while. Not the answer, i know..

I'm not expecting any miracles to happen from posting here but some general advice, discussion or input from other BDD sufferers would be great. Apologies for such a long post, its the first time i've mentioned this to anyone besides friends and family.

Here's some links with info on BDD mainly for anyone reading this who has it but but doesn't realise. If you have a problem with looking in mirrors/reflections you should definitely check them out because that can be one of the symptoms.
!

OP you and the rest of the country.

tommy21

MrDarcy wrote: »

OP you and the rest of the country.

I'm sure that's exactly the type of response the OP was looking for :rolleyes:

street

JuliusCaesar wrote: »

ocdireland.org runs support groups for people with trich and bdd. Might be useful to have a look there. And maybe here too.

Thanks Julius I'll check those out.