Linda Atkinson is an expert in treating body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) with cognitive behaviour therapy.  She worked for a leading UK clinic specialising in the assesment and treatment of BDD under the leadership of Dr David Veale, a world expert in BDD.  

 

If you are interested in reading about CBT for Body Dysmorphic Disorder please click the following link. This book would be an excellent companion to treatment with Linda Atkinson. 

 

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a body image problem.  It involves excessive preoccupation with percieved defects in one's appearance which other people hardly notice or don't view as important.  

 

Common concerns in BDD include beliefs that one is ugly, not symmetical, has deformed genitals or skin, a large nose, small muscles or excessively obvious scars.

 

People with BDD often avoid social situations because they worry that people are judging them negatively.  Other common behaviours include using heavy make up or arranging one's hair to hide the defect, checking reflective services, or seeking reassurance about the percieved defect. Comparing oneself to other people, excessive exercising, and ruminating about the percieved defect are also common activities that people with BDD engage in.  

 

The problem with many of these behaviours is that they feed the preoccupation with the perceived deficit and result in a person feeling even more self conscious.

 

The good news is that over recent years there have been studies showing that CBT can be effective in the treatment of BDD.  These treatments consist of up to 20 sessions of a very specific form of CBT carried out by an therapist experienced in the treatment of BDD.  CBT for BDD is not generic and requires particular expertise following a specific protocol.  BDD is not that uncommon and it is thought to affect 1-2% of the population. Unfortunately many therapists are not experienced in this area and often fail to ask clients specifically about concerns regarding the body.  This means that BDD often goes unrecognised for years before recieving a diagnosis let alone specific treatment for BDD.

 

Please feel free to contact Linda Atkinson about the possibility of treatment for BDD.

 

Linda Atkinson is also available for one-off supervision sessions for therapists working with clients who have BDD.  If you are a therapist interested in knowing more about treating BDD with CBT then you may like to look at the following excellent treatment manual. 

 

There are two very good videos about BDD below.  You may like to take a look at them.