Overview

The BDD Foundation is a UK-based charity devoted to alleviating the suffering of people affected by Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD).  It cares greatly about the distress BDD causes, but it is not a helpline or crisis service.

The term BDD describes a disabling preoccupation with perceived defects or flaws in appearance.  It can affect both men and women and makes sufferers excessively self-conscious.  They tend to check their appearance repeatedly, and try to camouflage or alter the defects they see, often undergoing needless cosmetic treatments.  Onlookers are frequently perplexed because they can see nothing out of the ordinary, but BDD causes devastating distress and interferes substantially with the ability to function socially.

Services:

Test: their test was made by clinicians as a tool to help determine whether you might have BDD.

Resources: a vast selection of books, podcasts and more resources for anyone that wants to learn more about BDD.

Email support service:

They offer an email support service for anyone affected by BDD, or anyone who is concerned that they, their friends or family may have BDD or a related disorder.

The majority of their volunteers have personal experience of BDD; all of their volunteers understand BDD and the impact that it can have on a person’s life.

The service will carefully read through your concerns and questions and aim to reply with high quality and accessible information about BDD and the recommended treatments. Where appropriate they will also direct you to other sources of support for BDD, other conditions and other issues.

They cannot give people a diagnosis via our email service as this can only be done by a qualified mental health professional. Additionally, please be aware that this is not a crisis service and replies may take a few days.