Bulimia and BDD: What are the Connections?

Contributor: Crystal Karges, MS, RDN, IBCLC, Special Projects Coordinator at Eating Disorder Hope/Addiction Hope

Many individuals may experience some degree of discontentment with their body image or appearance. In a society that is often appearance driven and a media that is saturated with products and ways of “bettering yourself”, it can be easy to fall into a trap of thinking that there is something about your appearance that should be changed or improved.

However, what if discontentment about appearance becomes an obsession or something that begins to negatively impact the quality of your life?

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a mental disorder characterized by an obsessive preoccupation with an aspect of one’s appearance. Many individuals who struggle with body dysmorphic disorder may perceive severe flaws about themselves that are imagined, or if actual, there is often a immense distortion about one’s appearance.

Whatever the situation may be, a person with body dysmorphic disorder will often obsess about their appearance constantly about the day, finding it difficult to focus on other important aspects of their lives. The negative thoughts that a person with BDD often has about their appearance tend to be extremely negative, inescapable, and interfering.

Co-occurring Disorders

Individuals who struggle with eating disorders, such as bulimia nervosa, may also struggle with body dysmorphic disorder. These two mental illnesses can be co-occurring and feed into each other. A person who originally may be dealing with body dysmorphic disorder may develop an eating disorder as a means of coping with the immense shame, disgust, and guilt that is experienced about their body and appearance.

Dealing with both body dysmorphic disorder and bulimia can be overwhelming and severely impact an individual’s quality of life if not appropriately and professionally dealt with. Many intrinsic factors can make a person susceptible to the development of these co-occurring mental illnesses, including genetics, environmental factors, and more.

If you have been dealing with both body dysmorphic disorder and bulimia, it is important to seek out the help you need for treatment and recovery. Finding an eating disorder specialist, such as a therapist, counselor or psychiatrist, can be an invaluable part of your recovery journey and finding the appropriate level of care you need for addressing these co-occurring illnesses.

Community Discussion – Share your thoughts here!

What stigmas do you think are associated with body dysmorphic disorder that may prevent a person from seeking help?

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About the Author: Crystal is a Masters-level Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) with a specialty focus in eating disorders, maternal/child health and wellness, and intuitive eating. Combining clinical experience with a love of social media and writing, Crystal serves as the Special Projects Coordinator for Eating Disorder Hope/Addiction Hope, where her passion to help others find recovery and healing is integrated into each part of her work.

As a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, Crystal has dedicated her career to helping others establish a healthy relationship with food and body through her work with EDH/AH and nutrition private practice.

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The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of eating disorders. These are not necessarily the views of Eating Disorder Hope, but an effort to offer discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.

We at Eating Disorder Hope understand that eating disorders result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from an eating disorder, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.

Last Updated & Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on March 8, 2016
Published on EatingDisorderHope.com