00:00For Mike and Holly Poundsford's daughter Emily, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, or BDD, overtook her life.
00:08She would be actually frightened of even things like aeroplanes going over.
00:13She'd tend to sort of want to hide because she'd be frightened that it might make people feel sick to
00:19look at her
00:20and sometimes she'd actually think that people in the street were being sick because they could see her.
00:26BDD is a mental health condition characterised by a disabling preoccupation with perceived defects or flaws in appearance.
00:35But unlike common misconceptions, it isn't vanity or self-obsession.
00:40You see somebody looking in the mirror all the time, you might think, oh, they're very vain.
00:44They think a lot of themselves. But actually the problem is very low self-esteem.
00:48There's real worry and anxiety about what they have.
00:51I think some people look in mirrors a lot, which is what Emily did.
00:55So we constantly had sort of mirrors being broken.
00:58You might have noticed there's a big mirror on the drive on the way in because Emily likes to check
01:02herself.
01:03But I think a lot of people with BDD have the opposite. They won't look in mirrors.
01:08Living with BDD can be very restrictive.
01:11Even everyday things like getting in the car can feel very overwhelming.
01:16And that's because you can see the number of mirrors and other reflective surfaces that are just here in the
01:22car.
01:23BDD affects 2% of the UK population, but stigma surrounding it can prevent people from seeking help.
01:32People who have BDD feel really ashamed about what's going on about themselves, but they don't need to feel ashamed
01:38because it's an illness that they have.
01:41And at its most severe, BDD can lead to death.
01:45It's a very significant proportion who will attempt to end their life because of the BDD, not just because of
01:53depression associated with BDD,
01:55because they just feel so disturbed and depressed about their perceived unattractiveness.
02:01Treatments include cognitive behavioural therapy and sometimes medication.
02:06And Mike and Holly hope that sharing their story will encourage others who may be struggling to seek help.
02:13I think recovery is possible. I think, you know, there's hope.
02:17People, when they're in the midst of their BDD, they can feel despair, but actually people recover and people get
02:25the support, they get the help and they live a normal life.
02:28Sophie Denny for KMTV in Tunbridge.
