Beating BDD

Simon describes how the brutal bullying he suffered at school set him on a long journey with body dysmorphic disorder, which culminated in a transformative stay in psychiatric hospital and writing a book about his experiences.

Simon describes how the brutal bullying he suffered at school set him on a long journey with body dysmorphic disorder, which culminated in a transformative stay in psychiatric hospital and writing a book about his experiences.

Berni hid what she called her "secret shame" for 40 years before discovering she'd been suffering from skin-picking disorder – a common co-morbidity with body dysmorphic disorder that can also manifest on its own. She's since learnt how to say no to the skin-picking voice and has even appeared in a naked calendar.

Ten years ago, Andy used to spend eight hours a day in front of the mirror and couldn't imagine ever being able to function. Now, he works full time and describes himself as 90% to 95% recovered from body dysmorphic disorder

Flora suffered with body dysmorphic disorder alongside an eating disorder until just 18 months ago. Since then, she's made truly inspirational progress is overcoming BDD, and built up a personal toolkit of tricks that will be really helpful to listeners.

In his interview, Elias describes how doing exposures was a huge help in recovering from body dysmorphic disorder

In her interview, Nicole talks about her lived experience of BDD and anorexia and how it's informed the life she lives now.

In this episode, Professor David Veale talks about how he came to specialise in BDD, and answers questions from people with the condition.

As head of operations for the BDD Foundation in the UK, Kitty Wallace supports sufferers and their families, raises awareness of the condition and much more. But she's also had her own experience of living with BDD. Her story shows that recovery may not always be a straight line, but it's always possible.