Topic : 07/04 Body Dysmorphia

BDD is described as someone having a distorted opinion of their true appearance. It is supposed to be something overwhich the sufferer has no control. Obviously pretty people like Diana and Cheyenne look in the mirror and  see freaks. Their own statements belie this. Diana has gotten permanent makeup. And she says it is not perfect. She has to have some baseline of perfection to make a comparison. She knows when she looks in the mirror that her looks are good but they just don't meet her opinion of what perfect is.

Her hair is styled. She has to be aware enough of her looks to know that her hair looks good. She truly looks pitiful. I think there is some great sadness in her life and it manifests itself by her opinion of her looks. She can not remove her heart and take away the hurt, but she can do these procedures to her face. If she fixes the inside, she will see that her opinion of the outside will improve.

Cheyenne has some problem  that is the antithesis of this thing called BDD. Anyboy who has been in a beauty pageant knows that they are beautiful. You don't look in the mirror and go "Oh, I am so ugly. How will those judges ever pick me?" Regardless of the excuses being made for her, she is vain. She needs to

get involved with some type of volunteer situation so that she doesn't have so much time to spend looking at herself.

And I believe if BDD were some true malady, then unattractive people would look in the mirror and see Grace Kelley looking back at them. They wouldn't be able to take advice from someone that they needed to perhaps see an orthodontist or dernatologist. I have to be wary of some "disease" that afflicts some special segment of society. I know there is sickle cell disease that mainly affects the black population, but that is a disease of the blood. It is not some mental disorder.

Thank you for the comment.  I was surprised that Dr. Phil responded so harsh.  I wanted him to understand that my sisters disorder is out of control and it is going to take a strong therapist or psychiatrist to deal with her disorder. 

I would like Dr. Phil to know that she scheduled an appointment with the psychiatrist, but did not fulfill her appointment.  She rescheduled because she felt she was not presentable enough to do the appointment.  This is the exact kind of behavior that I was trying to point out.

Please pray for my sister!  She is a good person who needs to love life again!

Liz

I know that I probably seemed unsympathetic towards my sister.  She neither has walked in my shoes.  I am married with 2 wonderful children and I am very busy.  My day starts at 6a.m. and ends at 11 p.m.  My children and husband wake up in the morning to a healthy breakfast that I have prepared for them.  I help them get ready and they are off to work and school.  I work out for 30 minutes and then I get ready for work.  My huband and I have been blessed with a wonderful business in real estate. I leave work at 3:00 to then get my children and take them to their activities.  My son is very acitve in sports - golf, football, basketball etc. and my daughter is acitve in soccer, ballet and basketball.  Our activities end usually at 6:30.  We usually are home by 7:00 when I start dinner, clean the house, do the laundry and help with homework.  By this time it is 9:30 and the kids go to bed.  I continue to do the rest of my housework and take a break by watching the 11 o'clock news.  I love my life and wouldn't have it any other way.

I have also been there for my sister through all of her turmoil.  I have spent countless hours listening, arguing, laughing and praying for my sister.  She needs help now more than ever.  I wanted Dr Phil to know that her disorder is out of control and that we need a strong therapist or psychiatrist to give her the much needed medical care.  My sister made an appointment with the psychiatrist after the show and then rescheduled because she thought that she was not presentable enough to make the appointmet.  This is exactly what I was trying to point out to Dr. Phil.

Sorry if I seemed rude or cruel - that was not my intention.

Liz

The general population does not know what BDD is all about. People are saying, "what is Cheyenne's problem get over yourself ". It is not that simple. When Cheyenne is Diana's age maybe people will then take her serious. Does she need to threaten suicide before she will be heard? This disorder is not about being an "ugly" person. BDD is a mental illness that is similar to anorexia in that the person with BDD is obsessive , compulsive and delusional about their appearance. They suffer constantly, and it affects every aspect of their lives.

Diana- You are an extremely beautiful woman (inside & out). When I saw you my first thought was “WOW, she is absolutely beautiful! Why does she not like her image? This has got to be a joke” Then after you started discussing how you feel within and the things that have happened to you and the lack of support you have been given I was able to understand. I wasn’t aware that there was a disorder like this out there. You really opened my eyes to that. I hope that you get all the help and support you need to overcome this BDD and live a healthy and happy lifestyle. My thoughts and prayers are with you. God bless!!!

I think that when an average person hears a skinny girl say that she has thunder thighs then people automatically wonder what she thinks of them.  Or when a beautiful girl says that she ugly we assume that she is fishing for compliments. 

I work in a rehab/ geriatric center.  We often will have a resident who thinks that her daddy wants her home.  We used to be taught to say, "Myrtle, you are 93- How old would that make your dad?"  Now we are taught not to argue.  It only upsets them and they feel that the death of their "daddy" is brand new.  We now say, "Your daddy knows that you are here and he says that you can spend the night."  Or something similar such as "well lets go eat dinner first."  

I don't know if this is similar but I know that the brain is very complicated.  Medicine hasn't even begun to understand how it works. 

You must be able to understand how it feels when people who don't understand depression judge you right?  You said you weren't aware of this disorder & thought it "has got to be a joke" until you heard the first young lady speak and then you were able to understand.  So if you're unable to understand then that means it isn't so?  Because the 2 young women weren't exactly the same you feel the 2nd girl isn't being honest or isn't suffering from a disorder?  You know there was a time that people who had been diagnosed with depression would think it had gone away on it's own & they were filled with a LOT of energy & they felt like they were on speed they were so hyper & people "questioned" them too until it was realized they were actually misdiagnosed and they were bipolar! 

Just because you don't understand doesn't mean this young lady isn't having a problem with a disorder & to have people telling her she's a coniving liar I can't imagine would help a person who has a self esteem problem of any kind.