News - BDDF - Page 10

December 2, 2023February 1, 2024

Inspirational Speaker – Kim Booker

Kim Booker, a yoga teacher from the South coast, has passionately combined her love for yoga & her mental health journey via her Instagram account. On this platform, she discovered the BDD Foundation. She became a passionate media volunteer for the charity. Her willingness to share her experience has led to national news stories, providing a form of exposure therapy whilst empowering her path to recovery.

In 2022, Kim gave evidence to the Health & Social Care Committee at the House of Commons. Her testimony focused on the vulnerability associated with aesthetic procedures and the profound impact of body image on both physical & mental health. Her suggestions directly influenced proposed legislation aimed at raising safety standards within the aesthetics industry. Kim’s advocacy efforts extended beyond that as she collaborated with MP Dr. Luke Evans to campaign for transparency regarding filtered images.

In 2023, she participated in the ‘More Than My Reflection’ campaign for the fashion brand Monki, elevating discussions & awareness about BDD on a global scale. Kim is dedicated to sharing her story and promoting a holistic approach to healing from BDD. Her experience as a mother has fortified her resolve to shield her daughter from the harmful effects of toxic beauty culture, dismantle the cycle of perfectionism, and work towards a safer and more inclusive online environment for people of all ages and body types.

Shedding Light on Shame & it’s role in BDD

With Dr Georgina Krebs

Over a century ago, early accounts of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) described it as “an obsession with shame of the body”. This talk will discuss the nature of shame, positioning it as a powerful emotion that is intimately linked with an individual’s self-concept. The presentation will outline contemporary research, highlighting evidence for a connection between BDD and not just body shame but also a broader, more generalized sense of shame. We will explore the important question of whether shame serves as a risk factor for the development of BDD and/or arises as a consequence of living with BDD. The talk will also discuss the impact of shame within the lives of those experiencing BDD, demonstrating its clinical significance. Lastly, we will address the crucial question of whether shame has implications for BDD treatment, highlighting gaps in knowledge and future research directions.

Georgina is an Associate Professor at University College London (UCL), where she co-leads a research group called the Anxiety, self-Image and Mood (AIM) Lab. Much of her research is focused on body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), with the goal of better understanding the phenomenology, mechanisms and treatment of this condition in young people in particular. She has published around 90 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters, many of which have focused on BDD. Georgina is also an Honorary Consultant Clinical Psychologist. She co-leads the Anxiety, self-Image and Mood (AIM) Clinic, which is a specialist NHS service for young people and young adults with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and related problems. Prior to working at AIM, she trained as a Clinical Psychologist at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN), King’s College London (KCL). After this she worked for over 15 years in a National and Specialist Clinic for Young People with Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders. Alongside her clinical work, she undertook a range of research including leading clinical trials of cognitive behaviour therapy.

BDD Across a Lifespan

with Scott Granet, LCSW

Given the significance placed on physical appearance during the teen and young adult years, it only makes sense that BDD would be thought of as just a young person’s problem. While much of the related literature does in fact concentrate on that demographic, BDD doesn’t somehow weaken as people age. If left untreated, it will in all likelihood just continue to worsen. This presentation will address the many difficulties associated with living with BDD across the lifespan, from childhood to old age. The presenter will also draw upon his own personal experience of living with this disorder for 5 decades and discuss how each stage of life brings with it unique challenges.

Scott Granet, LCSW specialises in the treatment of body dysmorphic disorder, OCD, and anxiety disorders. He has taught continuing education classes at universities and other institutions throughout the U.S, and presented on BDD at conferences worldwide, including those in Manchester and Glasgow. In 2008, he opened the OCD-BDD Clinic of Northern California. Mr. Granet is the author of Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Mine and Yours: A Personal and Clinical Perspective and The Complete OCD Workbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Free Yourself from Intrusive Thoughts and Compulsive Behaviors. In addition to his clinical work, Mr. Granet is a founding member of the board of directors for the Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation of the San Francisco Bay Area. He also has lived experience with BDD, having first developed symptoms of it when he was a college student, more than a decade before it was formally recognised as a psychiatric condition.

What Good BDD (CBT) Treatment Should Look Like

with Dr Lauren Peile and Dr Katie Lang

Lauren and Katie will be facilitating a session for individuals and their carers, as well as professionals, which sets out what we know about what makes CBT for BDD effective. This will include a summary of what we have learned by studying the measurable outcomes of therapy, in research and everyday therapy sessions, as well as information directly from those who have made use of CBT for BDD. We hope that this session will be helpful for those wishing to access CBT for BDD or to advocate for themselves or their loved ones when navigating services. We anticipate that the session will also provide a space for both individuals with BDD and professionals supporting them, to discuss and reflect on how to get the most out of CBT when this is offered.

Dr Lauren Peile is a Principal Clinical Psychologist at the National & Specialist OCD, BDD and Related Disorders Service for Children & Young People (South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust). She has worked at the service since 2012 and provided assessment & treatment to young people diagnosed with BDD or experiencing appearance-based distress for around 10 years. Prior to this she worked in a number of other Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and also at the NSPCC. Within the team she takes a lead in developing work with inpatient services and other enhanced treatment and overseeing the delivery of the NHS England Highly Specialist Services pathway for children and young people. She is involved in leading multi-disciplinary specialist assessments, and delivering weekly, intensive, home-based and inpatient treatment approaches, as well as consultation and joint work with other clinicians.

Dr Katie Lang is a Clinical Psychologist at the National and Specialist OCD, BDD and Related Disorders Service for Children and Young People (South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust). Katie has worked at the service since 2020 and provides assessment and evidence-based treatment to young people diagnosed with BDD or appearance anxiety. Katie completed her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), and prior to this completed a PhD in Psychological Medicine also at the IoPPN. Much of her research has focused on improving existing or developing new psychological treatments