Fw: Uma thurman admits to BDD

[Guest guest]

From: " Afsun Qureshi (by way of ilena rose) " <afsun@...>

Sent: Saturday, May 19, 2001 3:26 PM

Subject: Uma thurman admits to BDD

Hi ilena, please post:

Our amazing Zuckerman responds to a user question about Body

Dysmorphic Disorder, the illness where people obsessively hate certain of

their body parts. Also, Uma Thurman admits to having it.

Both articles are up on www.talksurgery.com Also, for all those women

out there looking for a qualified doctor, talksurgery has just completed a

6 month job of reviewing all plastic surgeons out there - we have included

only board certified surgeons who have never been disciplined by their

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most qualified are there.

Please, if anyone sees a plastic on our list that should not be there,

just drop me a line. We have been very thorough, but sometimes human

error and all, there could be some errors or omissions. Just let me know

if you see someone that should NOT be there.

http://www.talksurgery.com/consumer/epl/locator.epl

Thanks all afsun@...

http://www.talksurgery.com/consumer/new/new00000056_1.html

Golden Girl Uma admits to having Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)

By Sherry Kahn

May 15th, 2001 -- In Snow White, the princess' evil stepmother gazes into

the looking glass, asking, " Mirror mirror on the wall who's the fairest of

them all? " Here in the real world, a person who gazes into a mirror

thinking, " Mirror, mirror on the wall, I know I'm the ugliest of them all, "

may be suffering from BDD, or Body Dysmorphic Disorder - certainly

something far more dangerous than the stepmother's vanity.

In a recent interview with Talk Magazine, even beauty goddess Uma Thurman

admitted to struggling with the disorder - one that has its victims feeling

that they are simply not attractive. The lanky 6-foot blonde admitted to

" being troubled about her weight " ever since giving birth to her daughter,

Maya, in July 1998. Thurman, whose beauty and bodacious body are celebrated

world-wide, has recently been named the spokesmodel for Lancome's Miracle

perfume. She also stars in a new movie released this week, Golden Bowl.

" I see myself as fat, " Thurman confessed to Talk Magazine, adding that she

has body dysmorphic disorder.

Thurman even reportedly threw a piece of bread back in the basket during

her Talk interview, exclaiming in frustration, " I don't want to eat bread!

Why am I doing it? "

But in an age where body and face have taken on extreme importance, Ms.

Thurman is certainly not alone. The disorder has been growing in the past

five years, to the point where qualified plastic surgeons are being trained

to detect the tell tale signs of BDD, so they know when to recommend a

psychiatrist rather than liposuction.

Repetitive mirror gazing is one of the symptoms of BDD. Unlike the evil

queen who demanded reassurance of her beauty from the mirror, people with

BDD are preoccupied with an imagined or imperceptible defect, which, they

are convinced, makes them repulsively ugly. They typically spend a lot of

time in front of the mirror, checking and rechecking their imagined flaw -

or trying to camouflage it.

Although first described in the European psychiatric literature more than a

century ago, the American Psychiatric Association has classified BDD as a

clinical disorder only since 1987.

A Paralyzing Condition

BDD occurs in both children and adults, but it most often appears during

mid-adolescence. Both women and men are afflicted in equal proportions,

according to researchers.

Perceived facial flaws are the most common focus of BDD. However, any part

of or the entire body can be of concern. People with BDD imagine their

minor or nonexistent defect to be obvious and grotesque, but " I can never

guess correctly what body part my patients are obsessed about, " says Dr.

, psychologist at Mount Sinai School of Medicine's Compulsive,

Impulsive and Anxiety Disorder Program in New York, New York.

While most people are dissatisfied in some way with their appearance, the

dissatisfaction is so extreme with BDD that those suffering with the

condition are gravely disabled. They typically spend hours each day

consumed with worry and rituals, such as mirror checking, excessive

grooming or skin picking. BDD sufferers tend to avoid social interactions

and relationships. Children refuse to go to school and adults avoid going

to the office. As many as a third of BDD patients may become housebound.

Patients with BDD have high rates of psychiatric hospitalization and

frequently attempt suicide, researchers report.

Causes Unknown

While the research of the last decade has contributed to understanding more

about the condition, much remains to be learned. Because the

characteristics of BDD include intrusive obsessive thoughts and repetitive

behaviors, psychiatrists have classified the illness as an

obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorder.

" Although media influences and negative parental messages may reinforce the

condition, its cause may be more biochemical, " says . " It also appears

to be stress-related, as symptoms become worse when patients are stressed. "

Researchers are hopeful that brain imaging and genetics investigations,

currently underway, will provide useful prevention, diagnostic and

treatment information.

Treatment Helpful

Cognitive- behavioral therapy (CBT) has been found to be effective in

decreasing BDD symptoms. The cognitive part of the therapy consists of

challenging patients' misperceptions of their appearance and the importance

they place on appearance. The therapy involves training patients to

identify their thinking patterns and then, over time, to substitute more

realistic thoughts.

The behavioral approach may involve systematic desensitization. Patients

are gradually exposed to threatening situations and learn how to curtail

their tendencies to hide and obsess about their appearance. As each

situation is successfully handled, a more distressing one is presented.

While CBT alone can be effective in mild cases of BDD, success is more

frequently obtained with a combination of CBT and medication, according to

. Recent studies by the Mount Sinai group and by Brown University

School of Medicine researchers in Providence, Rhode Island have shown that

selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs),

such as fluvoxamine (Luvox) and clomipramine (Anaframil), improve symptoms.

SSRIs keep the neurotransmitter serotonin in the spaces between the nerve

cells and prevents it from being absorbed back into the cell. " These

medications definitely help people with BDD, but we don't know yet why they

work, " says.

BDD and Cosmetic Surgery

The majority of people who are mentally healthy are very satisfied with

cosmetic surgery. Their self-esteem and other psychological measures

typically improve, report British researchers. It is a different story,

however, for people with BDD.

As many as half of all patients with BDD turn to cosmetic surgery or

dermatological treatments to correct their perceived defects. In contrast

to those without the condition, people with BDD are usually dissatisfied

with the results. In many cases, symptoms get worse after the cosmetic

procedure.

Dr. Veale, of the University College in London, notes that patients

who are dissatisfied with their operation " feel guilty or angry with

themselves or the surgeon for having made their appearance worse. "

They feel depressed about having failed to achieve their ideal. This leads

to increased mirror gazing and often more surgeries, the psychiatrist

explains.

" Even patients who are satisfied with the surgical results will transfer

their preoccupation to another part of their body. Surgery doesn't solve

the problem. People with BDD should not have cosmetic surgery, " advises

.

Read this weeks Q and A about body dysmorphic disorder

Read one man's story of his girlfriend's obsession with her body " Even

patients who are satisfied with the surgical results will transfer their

preoccupation to another part of their body. Surgery doesn't solve the

problem. People with BDD should not have cosmetic surgery, " advises .

© 2001 talksurgery