Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
People with OCD experience intensely negative, repetitive and intrusive thoughts, combined with a chronic feeling of doubt or danger (obsessions). In order to quell the thought or quieten the anxiety, they will often repeat an action, again and again (compulsions).
Those with BDD will experience similar patterns of thoughts and behaviours. The obsession forms around a perceived flaw in appearance, and the compulsions usually play out in the form of safety behaviours. These two conditions are closely linked, with similar symptoms and treatment pathways.
In BDD, there may be a pre-occupation with order and symmetry in appearance, which is very similar to OCD, for example wanting one’s hair to be symmetrical and to feel “right”. An additional diagnosis of OCD is only given when the obsessions are not restricted to concerns about appearance or there are other unrelated symptoms of OCD (e.g. fears of contamination).
Twin studies found that BDD and OCD share the same genes. The disorders are genetically related, but they also have disorder-specific genes. For example, individuals with BDD also have visual processing distortions.
Many people with BDD have also had OCD in the past. Further information from OCD Action or OCD UK.
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Do I have BDD? Our test, developed by specialists and healthcare professionals, can help you understand whether someone might have Body Dysmorphic Disorder.