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On 11th May 2023, BBC Morning Live ran a feature on BDD and body image issues in men. Through speaking with our lived experience volunteer Danny Bowman, they highlight some of the common symptoms and the impact this has on someone’s home life, school, work, relationships and family life.

“It started with spending an extra hour in the mirror, but very quickly got to the point where it took over my entire life. I became 6 months house bound.”

Danny speaks on the CBT treatment he received, and how this helped him recover from BDD. He is now 10 years down the line and able to lead in a functioning and fulfilling life.

“Luckily I got support from the Maudsley in London. Getting me out and recognising that people weren’t horrified at my appearance was a huge thing for me.”

Kitty Wallace, Head of Operations at the BDD Foundation is interviewed, sharing knowledge and expertise on BDD, and specifically Muscle Dysmorphia, the key symptoms to look out for and the impact this has on quality of life.

“We know that from onset to getting the correct diagnosis is an average of 10 years delay. That is particularly huge in the context of BDD, where the suicide rate is 45 times higher than the general population, so it’s so crucial that people realise that help is out there, and they can get better.”

Watch the BBC Feature

Muscle Dysmorphia is a type of BDD which lead to excessive weightlifting, overtraining even when injured, restrictive diets, disordered eating, and often steroid abuse. It can often cause an individual to prioritise working out over other commitments such as relationships, work or family life.

“If you have Muscle Dysmorphia you are preoccupied by one or more perceived flaws in your appearance, and these will occupy you for several hours a day. They are causing clinically significant levels of distress, anxiety and depression and they are interfering with your everyday life. It’s not subtle.”

It affects men more than women and causes significant distress, with devastating consequences on someone’s life. Sadly, it appears to be on the rise.

The condition is poorly understood, and therefore ‘brushed off’ and not recognised as being severe. However, it’s seriousness should not be underestimated, and tragically, suicidal ideation and completion for those with MDD is common.

Dr. Rob Willson, who has treated people with the condition since the 90s, explains it’s not the physical side that it the main concern. Sufferers will choose the gym over a social event or their career.

“Where you have someone who has over trained and injured themselves and is at home feeling devastated, that’s a real worry. We’re not mucking about here.”

” I ended up retreating from people and making excuses as to why I didn’t want to be around people.”

Charlie King, one of our ambassadors at BDDF, speaks with GQ on this topic and shares his experience of Muscle Dysmorphia. He explains that he was exercising through injury, and withdrawing from social events which would interfere with his training.

After engaging in CBT, to support him in cutting back on checking and comparison behaviours, he is now finding a balance and has reached a kinder relationship with his body while still being a fitness enthusiast.

Charlie now speaks openly about BDD and MDD on his social media platforms, encouraging others to seek support if they are struggling, opening up the conversation and raising awareness of the condition.

“If you’re noticing that you’re becoming obsessive and the enjoyment factor is starting to dwindle that’s the first sign.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with these symptoms, please reach out to our helpline on support@bddfoundation.org or find out more on our Muscle Dysmorphia information page.

Read the GQ Article

In this podcast episode, Kitty explores her experience of ‘feeling different’, feeling like a failure in adolescence, and then first realising she had BDD. She discusses some of her common safety behaviours, checking compulsions and the all consuming experience of BDD.

“I certainly wasn’t seeking perfection, I was seeking normality. How can I blend in with everyone else… I felt that everyone was staring at me all the time.”

Kitty managed to endure her time through school, despite her symptoms of BDD already being very overwhelming. When she moved back home, things became unbearable. Luckily, a family friend highlighted to her that BDD might be what she was going through, and from here her journey of recovery began. After reaching out to the BDD Foundation, she began engaging in therapy and first started her involvement volunteering with the BDD Foundation.

“I thought I was the only person in the world feeling like this. I didn’t see a future for myself, at all.”

They also explore the treatment for BDD, exposure and response prevention exercises, and the important and common issue of shame experienced in BDD and how we can reduce this feeling.

“My average time to get ready at the age of 18 or 19, was around 4 hours. I ached all over from being hunched over in the mirror. I was honing in and trying to pick up on every problem with my face, but I couldn’t fix it.”

Kitty and Rebecca also speak about the topic of relapse, a very common experience for individuals with BDD. She shares the pain of relapse, finding the motivation to ‘try again’, re-engage in therapy and the journey up to present day.

“I felt the most hopeless that I’d felt throughout my journey. I had to step back from work and move back in with my parents, and just totally retreated from the world. I didn’t know how I was going to get out of it.”

Kitty found the drive to try again, after being house bound for months. She shares the hurdles she overcame through this and the feeling of starting from scratch. However, she found that the work she had done before, supported her ability to engage in the exercises again and strengthen those new pathways.

“The second time around it’s been more gradual. That doesn’t mean there aren’t days where the BDD is more in charge than I would like it to be, but it’s been a more consistent recovery. Mainly, what’s made the difference is being kinder to myself, being gentle with myself and not beating myself up when I can’t do something.”

This is such an insightful and important conversation, thank you Kitty and Rebecca.

Listen Here

Muscle Dysmorphia can lead to excessive weightlifting, overtraining even when injured, restrictive diets, disordered eating, and often steroid abuse. It can often cause an individual to prioritise working out over other commitments such as relationships, work or family life. It affects men more than women and causes significant distress, with devastating consequences on someone’s life.

As explained in the video, who spoke with Justin Baldoni, Noah Neiman & our volunteer George Mycock, many men suffering from this will begin to tie their masculinity to how they look and experience a compulsive need to ‘be big’.

Noah explains that even as a fitness professional “even I was self-conscious. I was at home feeling I should have done some more sit ups, I felt that I didn’t look good.”

As a form of BDD, the pre-occupation with muscle size and shape causes those suffering to carry out obsessive and compulsive behaviours in the hope of achieving a particular, often very unachievable body shape. Often, individuals experiencing MDD look entirely normal or are already very muscular.

“The more you focus in on it, the more you find flaws… the more distorted your perception becomes.”

As the speakers in the video disclose, MDD often causes suicidal ideation, attempts and completion.

If you or someone you know is struggling with these symptoms, please reach out to our helpline on support@bddfoundation.org or find out more on our Muscle Dysmorphia information page.

Trigger warning: This post contains multiple references to suicide.

The brave families of Charlotte Comer, George Rogers and Liam Leggatt share their experience of caring for, and losing someone to BDD, as well as the desperate need for better understanding and specialised treatment for those suffering with BDD. Tragically, Charlotte, George and Liam all took their lives due to BDD, leaving their families to fight for those still struggling.

Charlotte is described as “beautiful, so intelligent and really funny but the illness just stripped everything from her.”

“Charlotte did not receive her BDD diagnosis until her early twenties, having first been misdiagnosed with another condition. The illness would shape the rest of her life, leading her to drop out of university twice and leave jobs that she had loved. She was unable to attend her grandmother’s funeral or her sister’s wedding.“

Following a referral for specialist treatment, after an ongoing battle for this, Charlotte’s referral failed to progress after a clinician from Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust stopped this from happening. This referral was Charlotte’s chance at life saving care.

In a landmark decision, the coroner found that failings by the trust “probably caused or contributed to her death” and that her death “was contributed to by neglect”.

George Rogers also failed to receive appropriate care and treatment for his BDD. His family found it incredibly challenging for his diagnosis and symptoms to be taken seriously, highlighting the lack of understanding and lack of acknowledgement for the severity of BDD. One clinician had even made comments about his brother’s hair, the feature he was most concerned about, leading them to question whether the individual was equipped to handle BDD. 

“After George took his own life, a coroner compiled a prevention of future deaths report over the trust’s failure to ensure that there was always a lead practitioner when transferring patients between services. James Rogers believes that intensive treatment at an earlier stage might have made all the difference for his brother.“

For Liam, his family have questioned why he didn’t receive more specialised or intensive treatment. They had not been aware of the extent or severity of his condition since he was able to hide it from loved ones (a common response for people with BDD experiencing a huge amount of shame and embarrassment). However, this was also not identified by his care provider or escalated appropriately.

“You do feel a bit deflated, let down. It feels like there was a lack of support without a network behind.”

Professor David Veale explains in the article that it can often take 10 years from the onset of symptoms for patients to receive adequate treatment. He explains that

“Waiting lists are not too bad once you get referred. The obstacle is getting the referral, either because of funding reasons or because it’s not recognised, perhaps, as being sufficiently severe. I often puzzle myself in terms of why people . . . don’t want to refer patients.”

The impact BDD can have on people’s lives, for many is unimaginable, and requires good quality, specialist and ongoing treatment. With treatment, individuals can and do recover and are able to live functioning and fulfilling lives.

The article highlights the concerning issue that Community Mental Health Teams are often not referring patients who meet the criteria for specialist treatment. If you or a loved one are struggling to access the specialist care you deserve, we would encourage you to keep pushing for what you need.

If you require further advice and support on accessing treatment, please reach out to our e-helpline on support@bddfoundation.org or visit our page on treatment for BDD for more information.

Read The Times article