Do borderlines have body dysmorphia?

Results: The prevalence of BDD was 54.3% in the borderline sample. The BPD patients with BDD had significantly lower overall functioning and higher levels of BPD pathology, childhood traumatic experiences, suicide attempts, substance abuse and self-mutilation than those without BDD.


Is body dysmorphia a symptom of BPD?

Body image concerns that may amount to symptoms of BDD are common in a severe or emotionally unstable personality disorder known as Borderline Personality Disorder or BPD. When symptoms of BDD are prominent in BPD, then it is usually regarded as an additional problem to the personality disorder.

Can you have BPD and BDD?

In the current study, 54.3% of the patients with BPD also suffered from comorbid BDD. Our results suggested that BDD had a relatively high prevalence among patients with BPD and was a quite common disorder in this population.


Who suffers most from body dysmorphia?

BDD most often develops in adolescents and teens, and research shows that it affects men and women almost equally. In the United States, BDD occurs in about 2.5% in males, and in 2.2 % of females. BDD often begins to occur in adolescents 12-13 years of age (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).

Are there any physical symptoms of BPD?

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is associated with many negative physical health outcomes, including increased risk for serious chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis. BPD is also linked with obesity, a condition that is strongly related to many of the same physical health problems.


Borderline Personality Disorder and Body Dysmorphia



What are some rarely known signs for BPD?

Uncommon BPD Symptoms
  • Have food habits that strongly resemble those found in a person with bulimia or anorexia.
  • Experience mood alterations that closely mimic major depression or less severe forms of depression.
  • Experience the potentially extreme manic episodes found in people with bipolar disorder.


What is BPD usually misdiagnosed as?

In particular, there is evidence that BPD is commonly misdiagnosed as Bipolar Disorder, Type 2. One study showed that 40% of people who met criteria for BPD but not for bipolar disorder were nevertheless misdiagnosed with Bipolar Type 2.

What triggers my body dysmorphia?

Certain factors seem to increase the risk of developing or triggering body dysmorphic disorder, including: Having blood relatives with body dysmorphic disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Negative life experiences, such as childhood teasing, neglect or abuse. Certain personality traits, such as perfectionism.


What are the 2 types of dysmorphia?

There are two subtypes of BDD: Muscle Dysmorphia and BDD by Proxy. Both of these subtypes appear to respond to the same basic treatment strategies as BDD (cognitive behavior therapy or CBT and medications). However, the CBT therapist in particular needs to adjust the treatment so that it has the right focus.

What is body dysphoria vs dysmorphia?

To put in simpler terms, a person with gender dysphoria is not mentally ill; they are dissatisfied with the gender assigned at their birth. A person with body dysmorphia has a disorder in which they perceive their body or face as “ugly,” “fat,” or otherwise unattractive despite medical or personal reassurances.

Who is attracted to borderline personality?

Borderline/dependent: A person with borderline personality disorder (BPD) is well-matched with a person who has a dependent personality disorder (DPD). The BPD has an intense fear of abandonment which is a good match for the DPD who will not leave even a dysfunctional relationship.


What disorders does BPD overlap with?

The symptoms of BPD are very broad, and some can be similar to or overlap with other mental health problems, such as:
  • Bipolar disorder.
  • Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD)
  • Depression.
  • Anxiety.
  • Psychosis.
  • Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD)


Is BPD considered a disability?

The Social Security Administration placed borderline personality disorder as one of the mental health disorders on its disabilities list. However, you'll have to meet specific criteria for an official disability finding. For example, you must prove that you have the symptoms of the condition.

What are warning signs of body dysmorphia?

Symptoms of BDD include:
  • Constantly checking yourself in the mirror.
  • Avoiding mirrors.
  • Trying to hide your body part under a hat, scarf, or makeup.
  • Constantly exercising or grooming.
  • Constantly comparing yourself with others.
  • Always asking other people whether you look OK.


What is the core symptom of BPD?

With borderline personality disorder, you have an intense fear of abandonment or instability, and you may have difficulty tolerating being alone. Yet inappropriate anger, impulsiveness and frequent mood swings may push others away, even though you want to have loving and lasting relationships.

What disorder does body dysmorphia fall under?

Body dysmorphic disorder is related to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder. A person with OCD has upsetting thoughts they can't control (obsessions). These thoughts result in a need to do certain activities or routines (compulsions).

What is body dysmorphia face?

Facial dysmorphia is a mental health condition where the sufferer has a warped perception of the appearance of their face. This commonly includes distorted views on how their nose, skin and teeth look.


What does severe body dysmorphia look like?

The symptoms of BDD include compulsively checking the perceived flaw, attempting to minimize the appearance of the perceived flaw by covering it with makeup or clothing, and social isolation in order to keep the flaw or the symptomatic behavior a secret from others. Up to 2.4% of Americans are thought to have BDD.

Is body dysmorphia a spectrum?

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a relatively common disorder that consists of a distressing or impairing preoccupation with imagined or slight defects in appearance. BDD is commonly considered to be an obsessivecompulsive spectrum disorder, based on similarities it has with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Does body dysmorphia affect photos?

When viewing themselves in photographs, patients with BDD underutilize parts of the brain used in seeing the face's overall shape and size, he said. "If you just see the pieces of your face, and not seeing how they fit into the whole, then it's going to look distorted," he said.


How do you calm body dysmorphia?

Consider these tips to help cope with body dysmorphic disorder:
  1. Write in a journal. ...
  2. Don't become isolated. ...
  3. Take care of yourself. ...
  4. Join a support group. ...
  5. Stay focused on your goals. ...
  6. Learn relaxation and stress management. ...
  7. Don't make important decisions when you're feeling distress or despair.


What can undiagnosed BPD lead to?

Some of the most common effects of untreated BPD can include the following: Dysfunctional social relationships. Repeated job losses. Broken marriages.

What is borderline personality disorder called now?

Borderline personality disorder is also called emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD) and emotional intensity disorder (EID). In this factsheet, we call it BPD as this is still the most common term for the condition.


Why is borderline so hard to diagnose?

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) can be hard to diagnose because the symptoms of this disorder overlap with many other conditions, such as bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, and even eating disorders.

What does untreated BPD look like?

If left untreated, the person suffering from BPD may find themselves involved with extravagant spending, substance abuse, binge eating, reckless driving, and indiscriminate sex, Hooper says. The reckless behavior is usually linked to the poor self-image many BPD patients struggle with.