Adding a trigger warning for self-harm, and also marking this post NSFW as I don't want to trigger anyone else

When I have BDD spirals, I feel so angry that I want to self harm and obsess over harming myself. It is pretty much the exact same thought process as when you're angry at someone and imagine slapping them except for me its much worse than just slapping since I feel a lot of anger/hatred. I already self harm in various methods, but I fear permanent marks are going to make me look even worse, however rhere are no other ways of satisfying this feeling of wanting to harm the thing making me miserable everyday (my body). I have tried to ignore the feeling, but it does not help, it makes things worse because they just add up until I explode. I have moved to inducing inconveniences, sleeping in uncomfortable positions that make my muscles hurt afterward, uncomfortable clothes digging into my skin, very hot or very cold showers, starvation, lack of sleep. These methods have not been able to replace my urge of self harm, instead they made it even worse, now I am self harming more than ever. I don't know what to do to cure my urge. Any advice is appreciated, as I feel like I am actually going insane.

I (f22) look in the mirror and my face looks different everyday, I’m unable to turn my head a certain way because I hate that angle of my nose, and I feel so shallow when I tell myself that prettier people have better lives and have everything handed to them. From what I’ve experienced, people usually consider me attractive, and yet I want to scream at them about how they’re a liar.

I’m in a relationship with my dream guy and all I can think about is his ex, what she looked like, and how I can be better. I’m obsessed with it. It’s affecting us so badly because I start to pull away in fear that he realises I’m not as attractive as her. I start to crave everything she has and I almost want to mimic it, because I knew he was obsessed with her and whilst he is with me also, I just want to be better.

I have such ambitions in life - I get good grades, have nice friends, a family - and yet this is consuming me. I hate every single photo of myself, and I spend hours obsessively editing/looking at photos to the point I don’t eat, sleep, or use the bathroom. I’m left feeling empty rather than beautiful.

Please tell me how I can fix this. I’ve tried deleting social media but I just redownload it again. I’ve tried meditating but simply seeing myself in a mirror triggers me so badly. I can’t tell anyone, especially not my boyfriend, and my family doesn’t believe in therapy. Any tips or advice is immensely appreciated :)

I wish I could take a magic pill to fix this disorder or make me normal. I’m literally a prisoner in my own body and home. I barely leave the house because the anxiety is too much.

was home alone today and wanted to make some ice cream but couldn’t find the courage to dress up and walk to the shops and be in public to get the ingredients....didn’t want to use delivery services because I’m ashamed of the delivery person seeing me when I open the door. I can’t live life properly with this I feel so stuck. It’s affecting my friendships too since I made an excuse to not go out to my closest friend’s birthday dinner last week. I knew pictures would be taken and people would be looking at me.

When I’m outside in public,even in my own home, my appearance is at the forefront of my mind. It’s what I constantly think about, I’m anxious and scared of the world because of it and I don’t know how long I can continue on :( I’m struggling so much it’s affecting me so much and idk what to do anymore

I have always heard it’s closer to how you actually look than the front. I hate how I look in the front camera and hell even the mirror but it’s even worse on the back, my face looks wide and fat, My eyes look small and beady and I’m extremly asymmetrical. Like I very much look objectively ugly, I think anyone would say the same. I had a whole episode and broke down early today because I wanted to test how I looked in the back camera. Now I’m just lost and upset, I already had no idea what I look like. I keep crying anytime I think about that photo.

I don’t know if anybody has ever felt this but I feel like I look like all my selfies I take when I look in the mirror but as soon as somebody else takes a pic of me I feel like I even don’t recognize myself. I only have very few photos people have taken that I feel I look like myself, is it possible I’m just being done dirty with bad angles and lighting? I ask my friends and family if I look like my instagram and they say I do but I can’t tell if they’re just being nice.

I’ve felt unrecognizable in pics especially taken by an older generation or like off guard. Am I going crazy?

I am 5'5 and weighs 115 pounds appx.

I hate how my body looks even though i know its literally normal but i have an ideal body on my mind and its destroying me i dont know what i have become.

I used to work extremely hard to get abs. did core workouts and cardios non stop. it didn't work much for me so switched to running. Adapted it so fast and started running 6-7 km a day. Noticed that its not doing what i want out of it so stopped after 2 months.

Did everything i could do to achieve taht ideal body but now that i am sitting here remembering all the hardwork i did it haunts me. i feel like puking cause i am doing myself no good. I know i shouldn't be focusing on my body this much but can't help it.

its been 3 days ive been starving myself cause now just by looking at food i feel like puking.

day 1- salad and strong coffee

day 2- yogurt and strong coffee

day 3-apple banana and strong coffee

day 4- today( i am planning to eat nth)

i know this might sound absolutely ridiculous but yes this is wht is actually going on with me.

Help me.

i used to call myself ugly all the time, honestly just realized i’m not ugly, never was ugly, but just mid. i am mid as hell. and i hate that. i don’t know what to do with it either. objectively i know im “good looking” in the way how anyone can be good looking. i got great hair and good style. but i got a painfully average face. i wish i was one of those tiktok pretty boys or handsome guys you see that get so the comments and flirting. i don’t. i just look like a ordinary guy, painfully average. and i hate that.

My mental health has been pretty bad lately, body dysmorphia and ocd have been acting up, and I was wondering if anyone here has had positive experiences with therapy in regard to body dysmorphia. Mine tends to come and go, so it’s not something that I have addressed in the way that it probably does. But I would like to address it. Also, if you have gone to therapy for it, does it help if it’s specialized? I’m seeing a therapist that works at my school, so if I could just talk to her about this it would be really convenient but I’m not opposed to going to a specialist if need be.

Here you can find listed below general information on BDD and related foundations, the clinical classification and symptoms of BDD, advice for friends and family, as well as self-help and support groups, both in-person and online.

General information

The BDD Foundation

OCD UK

International OCD Foundation

Mind.org

Clinical classification

ICD & DSM Criterias

For friends and family

The BDD Foundation, Supporting a close one with BDD

Mind.org, How can friends and family help

Self-help

Body dysmorphia workbook by the CCI

Building self-compassion workbook by the CCI

Support groups

Online support and therapy groups

Support groups in the UK

Before weed I am looking on mirror and feel oh good I look good than when I smoke weed I felt looking at mirror and eww who is this ugliest person in the world idk it's weed showing me that it's that's how i look

How to cope and enjoy

I've been doing group therapy for a couple months and hate doing it because I have to be on camera. I have to fight the urge to cry every time because the other people doing it are all around my age and much better-looking than I am.

The whole point of therapy is to prevent suicide, but being there is making me feel very suicidal. I tried to speak to the coordinator and she said that it's common to hate being on camera but by being there and learning skills to tolerate those feelings, I’m putting myself in the position to improve my situation long-term, even if it's difficult short-term.

Idk, I’m not sure I see a light at the end of the tunnel.