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Crowdfunding – ‘Strength in Numbers’ film

A director with lived experience of BDD has started a crowdfunding campaign to create a film: ‘Strength in Numbers’ in order to raise awareness of Body Dysmorphia

Ben McLaughlin is a filmmaker from Philadelphia who has experienced body dysmorphia for 5 years now, and who now hopes to make a difference within the BDD community. He believes that the best way to do that is through a PSA campaign, titled ‘Strength in Numbers’, that shows the daily experiences of individuals that also deal with this condition.

“I have suffered from a hyperfixation on my body for years and it’s something that, at points, has dominated the state of my mental health. My goal with this project is to tell individual stories to broaden our communities’ knowledge on Body Dysmorphia and how it affects specific people. Your experience is unique to who you are, but you are not alone.”

McLaughlin and his crew of filmmakers are currently crowdfunding for the first PSA that showcases the stories of individuals with body dysmorphia. The film will tell John’s story- Ben’s best friend who inspired the campaign. It will follow his journey with muscle dysmorphia and the obsessive tendencies that come with it.

Not only are Ben and his team crowdfunding for the production of the piece, they are also donating 20% of each donation to the BDD Foundation.

This production is through Typo Film House, a start-up production company based in Philadelphia that McLaughlin has co-founded with four other passionate creatives. They need your help to share this important message with the world!

Please support the PSA by following this link and donating.

You can also stay up to date with the PSA and their other upcoming projects on Typo’s Instagram @typofilmhouse

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Parliamentary Inquiry on the impact of body image on mental health

A director with lived experience of BDD has started a crowdfunding campaign to create a film: ‘Strength in Numbers’ in order to raise awareness of Body Dysmorphia

MPs are examining the relationship between people’s perception of their body image and their physical and mental health. They will consider how far people’s perception of body image can hinder access to NHS services and whether NHS training and Government messaging should be altered.

As a charity we are incredibly supportive of this inquiry and we believe it could be the start of real change.

We are proud to say that four individuals associated with the BDD Foundation provided witness evidence for this inquiry.

Kim Booker has bravely shared her experience of Body Dysmorphic Disorder and how idealised images in the media as well as cosmetic treatments have played a part in the development and maintenance of her BDD

Watch her brave testimony.

Dr Georgina Krebs, who is an Honorary Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Associate Professor of Young People’s Mental Health and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, at University College London. She speaks on eating disorders and Body Dysmorphic Disorder including Muscle Dysmorphia in her evidence.

Watch her evidence here (go to around 10:47 minutes)

Nyome Nicholas who was involved in our Monki campaign on Selfie Love and petition calling for transparency on altered images online, James McVey from the band the Vamps and others also gave evidence on this.

Charlie King, an ambassador for the BDD Foundation gave evidence on his experience of BDD, bullying in childhood and plastic surgery that went wrong. You can watch his evidence here.

Sign our Petition on Change.org

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The Mirror shines a light on BDD

A director with lived experience of BDD has started a crowdfunding campaign to create a film: ‘Strength in Numbers’ in order to raise awareness of Body Dysmorphia

Danny told how a crippling mental health issue caused him to drop out of school and become housebound for several months as he was convinced he looked like a ‘monster’.

The condition caused him to perform a number of daily rituals, including scrubbing his skin, spending hours in front of the mirror and taking endless photos of himself in an attempt to look perfect.

Danny, who is now studying towards a PhD in mental health policy, told the Mirror: “I couldn’t leave the house because I was worried that people would be terrified of me, and that prevented me from engaging in anything.“

“Because I was a man, I didn’t think I could suffer from a body image disorder. But I’m lucky that I got the help I did when I did. It enabled me to get my life back”

Danny believes that the lack of awareness around BDD has also led to an increase in common misconceptions – the main one being that the condition is born from vanity.

34-year-old Kitty Wallace, who developed BDD in her late teens and since turned her struggle towards campaigning as Head of Operations at the BDD Foundation, said that the condition dictated every decision and movement she made growing up.

“I would spend eight hours trying to get ready, and still wouldn’t feel like I could leave the house and be seen. I felt so grotesque, so unusual. It was really scary.”

On the BDD Foundation Kitty explained that “we’ve got people visiting our website from all over the world because we are the only charity and website fully dedicated to it.”

Kitty points to the importance of specialised treatment for those who are diagnosed with BDD.

“The recommended treatment for BDD is specialised cognitive behavioural therapy. The reason I highlight specialised therapy is that a lot of people are just referred for generalised CBT for anxiety or depression.”

To read the full story click on this link

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We are hiring!

A director with lived experience of BDD has started a crowdfunding campaign to create a film: ‘Strength in Numbers’ in order to raise awareness of Body Dysmorphia

About the role

We are looking for a remote admin assistant to work 1-2 days a week, over a 5 week period (mid-June to mid-July).  One week of that will be training alongside our Head of Operations.

The main responsibilities will be fielding general email inquiries (media, fundraising, volunteering) whilst our Head of Ops is on leave. There will be some miscellaneous tasks such as overseeing social media posting and scheduling and website updates.

We invite applications from people with lived experience of BDD or OCD, or of caring for someone with BDD or OCD.  Applicants should have excellent written and communication skills as well as experience of using Outlook, Word, Instagram and Twitter.  Knowledge of Canva and Mailchimp preferable.

There is the potential for this role to be extended beyond the 5 week period.

How to apply:

Please submit your CV and a personal statement which highlights the following to info@bddfoundation.org :

  • Your (direct/indirect) experience with BDD/OCD
  • Why you would like to apply for this position
  • Your relevant experience
  • What relevant skills and qualities you have

Deadline for applications is 16th May

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Fempower Health Podcast on BDD

A director with lived experience of BDD has started a crowdfunding campaign to create a film: ‘Strength in Numbers’ in order to raise awareness of Body Dysmorphia

Fempower Health is a podcast offering frank conversations with women’s health experts investigating important, often misunderstood women’s health topics empowering women to become the CEO of their health.

In this episode, the following elements are covered:

  • Body Dysmorphia Definition, including how similar or dissimilar it is to anorexia and bulimia
  • Body Dysmorphia Test
  • Body Dysmorphia Symptoms
  • Body Dysmorphia and Social Media
  • How to help someone with Body Dysmorphia

The relationship to the routines that I had was an issue and nobody caught it. The meaning I made was an issue and nobody caught it. I believed what I believed internally. – Rachel Koutnik

Listen Now

About Dr. Amita Jassi

Dr Amita Jassi is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist at the National and Specialist OCD, BDD and Related Disorder Service for Children and Young People (South London and Maudsley NHS Trust). She has worked with this client group since 2006. Amita is the lead for the BDD branch of the service as well as the research lead for the clinic. This is the only specialist service for young people with BDD in the UK.

In her clinical role, she develops and delivers individually-tailored treatment packages, including intensive, home-based and inpatient treatment, as well as offering consultation and joint work with clinicians around the country.

Amita has taught and trained nationally and internationally on child and adolescent OCD and BDD. She is the author of several books including ‘Appearance Anxiety: a Guide to Understanding Body Dysmorphic Disorder for Young People, Families and Professionals’ and ‘The Parents’ Guide to Body Dysmorphic Disorder’. She has She has over 35 publications in peer reviewed journals on OCD and BDD and engages in media work to increase awareness and understanding of these conditions. Amita is also a trustee for the BDD Foundation charity.

About Rachel Koutnik

Rachel Koutnik, LCSW is a therapist in private practice in Los Angeles, California. Rachel has been a practicing therapist for 12 years with a background in community counseling with children, adults and families, and emergency room crisis work. She currently works with teens, adults and couples providing outpatient therapy, as well as part time work with adults in an intensive outpatient substance abuse recovery center. Rachel identifies as a wounded healer and has also been in recovery from Body Dysmorphic Disorder and other mental health struggles for the past 20 years. Her own healing journey has led to her integrative approach of evidence based and holistic healing methods.

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Living the Exposure Life

with Elias Marchetti

My name is Elias Marchetti, I’m 21 years old and now at university studying oceanography: I love the ocean, having been an avid sailor for over ten years now. My favourite hobbies are watching movies, photography, hanging out with friends — and playing fetch with my dogs! CBT — Cognitive Behavioural Therapy — is an essential tool for overcoming OCD and BDD. While it may seem daunting at first, it really is an incredible help to being able to return to living life to the fullest. CBT changed my life for the better and really allowed me to be the person I was before having BDD and OCD. Living the exposure life by pushing yourself and doing exposures whenever you can is an amazing way to keeping healthy and free of BDD and OCD.

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‘The devil is in the detail’

with Elias Marchetti

Georgina is an Honorary Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Associate Professor of Young People’s Mental Health and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, at University College London. Her research interests include developing novel, evidence-based methods for delivering cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) in young people, and understanding factors that interfere with recovery in order to inform the development of new treatment approaches.

Body dysmorphic disorder shares many features with eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa. Previous research has found that people with anorexia nervosa show a tendency to focus on detailed features within visual images, and this means that they sometimes struggle to see ‘the bigger picture’. This is an important issue because a detailed-focussed processing style could fuel appearance concerns and poor body image. In this talk I will summarise our recent research looking at whether body dysmorphic disorder, like anorexia nervosa, is linked with this detailed-processing style. I will also discuss potential implications for treatment and recovery.

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Medication for BDD

with Elias Marchetti

Dr. Phillips is Professor of Psychiatry, Dewitt Wallace Senior Scholar, and Residency Research Director at Weill Cornell Medical College, and Attending Psychiatrist at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City. Her pioneering research on BDD has identified and elucidated many important aspects of this common and severe disorder, and she has developed and tested treatments, both medication and therapy, for BDD.

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) can often be effectively treated with certain types of medication. Medication and cognitive-behavioural therapy that is tailored to BDD are the only two evidence-based treatments for BDD. For medication to be effective, the correct medication, dosing, and trial duration are needed. This presentation, by Dr. Katharine Phillips, who has conducted most of the published medication studies of BDD, will review first-line medication approaches for BDD, including dosing and trial duration. She will also discuss next-step options if a first-line medication is not adequately helpful. In addition, Dr. Phillips will review myths about medication, some possible side effects and approaches that may alleviate them if they occur, and other topics such as for how long a helpful medication should be continued.

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Application of the CBT Model to BDD treatment

with Elias Marchetti

Dr. Neziroglu is a Board Certified Psychologist who has been involved in the research and treatment of Obsessive Compulsive related disorders and anxiety disorders for over 25 years. She has presented and published over 100 papers in scientific journals and co-authored numerous books. She is clinical director and co-founder of the Bio Behavioral Institute in Greak Neck, New York. Dr. Neziroglu received her PhD in Clinical, School-Community Psychology from Hofstra University. She is Board Certified in both Behavioral (ABBP) and Professional Psychology (ABBP). She is also a Board Member and a Fellow of ABBP’s Academy. She is Full Professor at Hofstra University, Department of Psychology and Clinical Professor of Psychology at New York University.

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Taking the pressure out of recovery

with Elias Marchetti

A participant of BBC Three’s ‘Extreme OCD Camp’ in 2013, Jack has extensively written and spoken about OCD in the national press and TV, including Time to Change, BBC Breakfast and The Victoria Derbyshire Show. Now the CEO of UK-wide disability charity, The Accessful Foundation, Jack is the author of ‘Life On The Other Side’, a two-in-one book about recovery (with proceeds to OCD Action) and a public speaker and business consultant.

A talk on some of the things I wish I’d done differently as a young person, how your version of recovery can be caught (even if you think it can’t), how to avoid the added pressures of ‘enjoying the best years of your life’ and how building a team around you can be one of the greatest things you ever do.

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The Body Dysmorphic Disorder Foundation. Charity no. 1153753.

Online BDD Conference

An opportunity for professionals, researchers, students, and those with lived experience to find community and to learn more about BDD.

Join this virtual event on Saturday, May 31, 2025!

Tickets available here