BDD Prevalence

Estimates for the United States are that Body Dysmorphic Disorder occurs at a rate of 2.5 percent in males and 2.2 percent in females—interesting that it is slightly higher in males. More than three million cases are diagnosed annually Unfortunately, they tend to seek surgical opportunities rather than balanced mental health counseling for this mental illness. There are risk factors including blood relatives with body dysmorphic disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder; adverse childhood experiences of ACE’s; perfectionism, societal pressure related to expectations of beauty; having another mental health condition such as an anxiety or depressive disorder; abnormal brain structure or function, sexual trauma, or serotonin insufficiency or imbalance. Michael Jackson is said to have suffered from BDD.