24th Annual OCD Conference

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a severe body image disorder characterized by a preoccupation with an imagined or slight flaw in appearance. BDD is a relatively common and often disabling illness with high suicide rates. This presentation will describe how to correctly recognize, diagnose, and conceptualize individuals with BDD. Participants will learn many therapeutic techniques, including: cognitive strategies for delusional and non-delusional BDD, metaphors and mindfulness exercises, strategies to address low self-esteem and over-importance of appearance, novel strategies to reduce common BDD behaviors, mirror retraining, and strategies for involving families. Motivational strategies for helping patients overcome resistance to treatment will also be presented.

As with OCD, exposure and response prevention therapy is widely recognized as a vital part of the treatment for BDD. This workshop will be presented by four people who know this process intimately, as all have lived with BDD and have faced the many challenges that exposure therapy can offer. Attendees will become familiar with how ERP works with BDD, and also have the opportunity to practice it during the workshop, if they are interested in doing so. Effective techniques and potential pitfalls will be reviewed in depth, as will the hazards and benefits associated with the use of social media.

Is recovery from BDD possible? Can I lead a normal life? Will family and friends ever understand? Yes, yes, and yes. Erik Duarte, Jennifer Thorne, and Chris Trondsen, who have forged ahead in their own lives despite BDD, will recount successful (and not-so-successful) treatments, coping skills, the most important moment in their recovery, and how they manage setbacks. IOCDF Board member Denis Asselin and Carrie Asselin, who lost a son/brother to BDD, will moderate, leaving ample time for questions and an opportunity for participants to develop strategies to communicate with family and friends.

Living with body dysmorphic disorder is challenging for many reasons. Focusing on work, school and managing a personal life all can become extraordinarily hard. Intimate relationships are no exception. Can you really be with another person if at the same time you're having a relationship with a part(s) of your body? The answer is a complicated 'yes.' In this workshop, the presenter will highlight some of his own personal experiences in discussing how to maintain satisfying relationships while living with such a tormenting disorder. Additionally, tips for partners will also be explored.

Most people living with BDD never meet someone else who also has it. That only further contributes to feelings of isolation, which tends to be a hallmark of those living with the disorder. The IOCDF annual conference BDD support group offers a rare opportunity to meet others who truly understand what it is like to live with such a tormenting psychiatric illness: fellow BDD sufferers. Family members are also welcome, as they too live with the daily anguish caused by BDD. This is a safe, confidential environment where people are free to share their concerns without judgement. Please join us!

A day of caring for sufferers of BDD/OCD and related illness can feel like an eternity. Caregivers often find themselves 'on duty' from sunup to sundown, sleeping at night with one eye open. In this supportive, candid forum, we will share stories of how we care for ourselves even when the going gets rough. What are the physical, psychological, and spiritual 'oases' that refresh us, renew our commitment, and help us be more effective? We will explore compassionate self-care as the sustainable approach to caring for loved ones with a chronic illness.