Break the Stigma: Opening Difficult
Yet Important Conversations

The uncomfortable silence when touching the subject of mental health proves its stigmatized appearance in the larger picture. While we talk about mental health, we must bring up every part of it in order to understand the dynamics.

One mental health condition that is not commonly talked about is body dysmorphic disorder (BDD).

BDD is a mental health-related disorder that impacts an individual’s ability to perceive their physical appearance in a healthy way. This condition may be apparent in people who struggle with eating disorders, but it can’t be fully categorized under that label. Let’s explore the phenomenon in detail and discuss how we can add our input to try and eliminate the adverse effects of BDD.

The First Step for a Change? Constructive Arguments.

A conversation opener is the best way to address topics that make us feel uncomfortable. Ultimately, the stigma around BDD, like other mental health conditions, is based on patients showing reluctance towards its treatment due to the fear of appearing unacceptable. In this case, the only help we can offer is to leverage a space for tolerance for patients with BDD. This way, they might be able to overcome the shame and seek routine treatments for it.

It is uncertain, even to mental health practitioners, whether mental health conditions can be entirely wiped out in the near future. Nevertheless, it is our primary social obligation to at least bring up such areas of discussion in order for them to be fully erased one day.

Let’s Contribute to a Future Aware and Inclusive of Mental Health Struggles

A study conducted in 2022 shows higher levels of disturbances related to body image in gay men than in heterosexual men, along with higher rates of eating disorders and body dysmorphia.

Additionally, a 2022 National Survey on LGBTQ+ Youth Mental Health by the Trevor Project indicates increasing rates of suicidal ideation and attempts in LGBTQ individuals. Consequently, the struggle with body dysmorphia in LGBTQ individuals is pretty common. The project estimated around eighty percent of LGBTQ individuals reported their complaints about body dissatisfaction.

How can we, as empathetic adults, offer our help in the middle of this crisis? Here are a few initial steps you can take to contribute to this growing challenge. Remember, your one step can transform thousands of lives.

Celebrate the LGBTQ+ Art Forms that Discuss Mental Health

Art appreciation is the best way to let the empathetic spirits flow in us naturally. There are movies, books, and TV series that cater to our understanding of LGBTQ lives. Here are some note-worthy books for you to start from:

1. 1. Somewhere Between ‘JUST FINE’ and the Emergency Room by Sage M. Forman
2. 2. Life isn’t Binary: On Being Both, Beyond, and In-Between by Alex Iantaffi and Meg-John Barker
3. 3. Untamed by Glennon Doyle
4. 4. Psychoanalysis and Homosexuality: A Contemporary Introduction by Leezah Hertzmann

Acknowledge the Fact It is Not About You

People with BDD tend to suffer the most socially. If someone you know who struggles with this condition is reluctant to be a part of social gatherings, try not to take it personally. Instead, offer them a safe venting space – they might need it more than you ranting about how pissed off you are that they canceled.

Challenging the Conservative Norms: Myths Regarding BDD

As for mental health, there are always going to be some opinions around it that oppose the medical views. Those are mainly the traditional and ill-informed narratives that invalidate the struggle with mental health. The same thing can be said for BDD. There are common myths for patients who suffer from this condition. Let’s look into them and educate ourselves with facts instead of biased points of view:

No, BDD Patients are not ALL About Themselves.

This is the most common argument that people bring up, which invalidates the struggles of BDD. Patients who suffer from this condition are not self-absorbed. These individuals are more likely to be focused on their physical appearance to the point where it impairs their social life. If anything, people with BDD are held back from receiving treatment because it might make them look narcissistic or self-obsessed.

BDD Doesn’t only Affect Women.

The discomfort that society expresses whenever we talk about mental health disorders in men can prove fatal for their health. It is understandable why one would assume that conditions such as BDD only affect women. On the contrary, that is not the case. Although the effects of BDD are somewhat more evident in women, the numbers are incredibly close in men. BDD can affect anyone regardless of their gender or socio-economic class.

No Amount of Face or Body Modifications Helps.

When speaking about BDD, it is thought that cosmetic surgeries or body modification can help these individuals. We need to understand that patients with BDD are not unattractive. It is their brain that convinces them that they are flawed. In fact, people with BDD can look absolutely normal but still have underlying thoughts of poor body image. Not that we are against plastic surgeries; it is just that people with this condition need to consult professional help.

Life is not easy for patients who navigate life with such a burden in their hearts. However, this doesn’t mean we stop trying to make things better for them. If you think you have the privilege of mental health, you can use it to benefit those who don’t.