How Is Body Dysmorphic Disorder Different Than Insecurity?

A lot of people are insecure or have low self-esteem that can cause some distressing feelings and interfere with life. People with low self-esteem may struggle to socialize or build relationships and may experience depression and anxiety. However, body dysmorphic disorder, while it can occur alongside low self-esteem, is different than insecurity.

Knowing the differences between insecurity and body dysmorphia can help you to address the symptoms effectively for health and well-being.

What is Body Dysmorphia Disorder?

Body dysmorphic disorder, or BDD, is characterized by the belief that others will only see the flaws that you see in yourself in a mirror or photograph. You may only see scars, asymmetry, irregular features, and other physical appearances that cause you to be self-conscious.

It is important to realize that struggling with appearance and specific flaws does not necessarily mean that you have body dysmorphia. It is only considered to be body dysmorphia when the thoughts, feelings, and perceptions of those flaws interfere with life and take up too much time. The thoughts can cause you to be distracted, anxious, sad, or angry.

Sometimes, body dysmorphic disorder can cause compulsive, repetitive behaviors. For example, someone with body dysmorphia may constantly check their appearance in the mirror, use excessive makeup, or continuously compare themselves with other people. It can also cause avoidance of social interactions.

The cause of body dysmorphia is not simple or clear, but many factors can influence the disorder. Family history, abuse, low self-esteem, anxiety, trauma, and depression are all risk factors for BDD.

To be diagnosed with body dysmorphic disorder, certain elements have to be met. You would need to suffer from a preoccupation with appearance and may pinpoint insignificant or nonexistent imperfections. This can coincide with intrusive thoughts that can become obsessive.

Another criteria component is that you would have to attempt to get rid of a flaw using repetitive or compulsive behavior. Some people with body dysmorphia will pick at their skin, change clothes, apply excessive makeup, and crave approval from others.

The thoughts and behaviors have to impair quality of life or interfere with relationships, work, school, sleep, and other areas in life. The thoughts can often enter the mind at any time and can be very hard to eliminate once those thoughts have begun.

Recognize Body Dysmorphic Disorder versus Insecurity

Body dysmorphic disorder can be hard to recognize and identify if you are unsure of what types of behaviors point to the condition. There are some signs to look for that can help you determine the severity of the issue and whether it is insecurity, body dysmorphia, or a combination of the two.

Body dysmorphia is likely to make you feel like your physical appearance is flawed and you may feel like you are not attractive. In some cases, this also correlates with thought patterns about deformity.
These signs contribute to constant comparisons to other people as well as the desire for reassurance and approval. It can also cause you to avoid social situations and events and may make you feel like everybody is judging you or making fun of your appearance.

Another symptom is perfectionism, especially regarding appearance. This can cause someone to attempt to hide certain flaws. When a flaw, whether real or not, is apparent to someone with body dysmorphia, it can make it difficult to stop focusing on that flaw and wanting to fix it immediately.

So how are these symptoms similar to and different from insecurity and low self-esteem? Well, there is certainly an overlap between the two, but insecurity is not likely to focus solely on physical attributes and the identification of perceived flaws. Insecurity is also coupled with negative self-talk and sensitivity to criticism.

Like body dysmorphic disorder, insecurity and low self-esteem can also cause you to withdraw socially. You may also find that you are worried about personal problems, feel depressed, have a hard time accepting compliments, and focus only on negative aspects of your life while disregarding positive achievements and behaviors.

As you can see, there are some clear similarities between low self-esteem and body dysmorphic disorder. Both can cause over comparison to others and contribute to anxiety and depression. The main difference is that body dysmorphia is characterized by an obsessive focus on bodily flaws while insecurity is characterized by all portions of the self and how you see yourself.

With insecurity, you are more likely to occasionally think about physical flaws, but it does not control or manipulate your entire life. Low self-esteem can also cause poor well-being though, and in some cases, treatment is an effective option. Psychotherapy is a useful tool in the treatment of both low self-esteem and body dysmorphia. In addition, some coping methods can also help.

Coping with Body Dysmorphia and Low Self-Esteem

Even though both body dysmorphic disorder and low self-esteem are distinct and cause different symptoms, many of the coping methods will work for both. The first thing that you can try to do that can help is to try to avoid comparisons to other people. While that is certainly easier said than done, keeping this on your mind may help you identify when and how often you are comparing yourself to others. This is also common with social media, but it is important to realize that the pictures of other people on social media are wholly positive because they would be unlikely to post an imperfect image.

You can also try to grow a feeling of acceptance for yourself. This starts with self-talk. If you become more mindful about the way you think about yourself, then you can examine those thoughts to help rectify the negative thought patterns. You may also find that it helps to gain a new perspective if you write down your thoughts in a journal.

Finally, make an effort to take care of yourself. This means giving yourself time to relax, eating healthy foods, exercising, and getting plenty of sleep. It also means trying to socialize with friends and family.

These methods can take time and there are some situations where medication or therapy is the best approach. Even with those situations, though, learning to utilize these coping techniques may improve the effectiveness of the treatment.

Conclusion

Low self-esteem and body dysmorphia often go hand in hand, and they also share some signs and characteristics, but some differences help to define each as a distinct condition. Body dysmorphia is focused on physical flaws and appearance and leads to obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors. Conversely, insecurity is related to self-consciousness about all aspects of life and can make it hard to accept compliments or see the positive aspects of yourself.