Similarities. The symptoms of both OCD and BDD have similarities; so much so, BDD is sometimes misdiagnosed as OCD. Like OCD, body dysmorphic disorder involves persistent and recurrent obsession-like thoughts that are distressing and often uncontrollable.
BDD is categorized in the DSM 5 as one of the obsessive-compulsive related disorders for obvious reasons. In BDD, people are tormented by obsessive thoughts associated with a part or parts of their physical appearance being flawed in some way, yet these flaws tend not to be noticeable to anyone but themselves.
BDD appears to be closely related to several anxiety disorders, particularly obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and social phobia (SP) (Phillips et al., 1998; Frare et al., 2004; Phillips et al., 2007; Fang and Hofmann, 2010).
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Body Dymorphic Disorder (BDD) are conditions that effect about a million children and adults. They can cause great distress for both sufferers and their family and friends. Although they are often linked together they are in fact different conditions.
Obsessive-compulsive symptoms are also considered intrinsically related to borderline psychopathology. These symptoms are severe and are characterized in BPD patients by poor insight and resistance and obsessive control evident in personal relationships.
Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) are intense urges like biting, picking, and pulling that can cause damage. As many as 1 in 20 people have a BFRB, but they can be dismissed as “bad habits.” While BFRBs share some symptoms with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), they're not the same.
The main distinction is that BDD is focused exclusively on compulsive behaviors related to appearance, while individuals with OCD can have various types of obsessive thoughts and behaviors. Additionally, people with BDD tend to have more difficulty understanding and acknowledging their symptoms than those with OCD.
The cause of body dysmorphic disorder is thought to be a combination of environmental, psychological, and biological factors. Bullying or teasing may create or foster the feelings of inadequacy, shame, and fear of ridicule.
Body dysmorphic disorder is related to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder. A person with OCD has upsetting thoughts they can't control (obsessions). These thoughts result in a need to do certain activities or routines (compulsions).
Obsessive–compulsive disorderObsessive–compulsive disorder / Full name
OCD can lead to self-harm. Ritualistic, compulsive behaviors may damage your body. Some OCD behaviors include pulling your own hair, picking at your skin until it bleeds, or vomiting food to avoid weight gain (bulimia). Even excessive hand washing can be harmful.
To put in simpler terms, a person with gender dysphoria is not mentally ill; they are dissatisfied with the gender assigned at their birth. A person with body dysmorphia has a disorder in which they perceive their body or face as “ugly,” “fat,” or otherwise unattractive despite medical or personal reassurances.