Body Dismorphic Disorder

[lynn0824]

Hi,

I am a 28 year old mother of two.  I suffered from a little bit of BDD in College.  IT was because of my face and acne but once i took accutaine and it went away I was fine.  I am now having horrible attacks with the BDD but this time it has to do with my four month old daughter and i feel like I am going crazy.  She is a beautiful healthy little girl and the love of my life but I can not stop obsessing about the size and shape of her ears.  they are large and protrude from her head.  All I see when I look at her are ears and it has gotten me very depressed.  I find my self obsessing about them 24 hours a day and constantly looking at other babies to compair.  up until two weeks ago i never even noticed ears on a child or infant.  I m not sure what triggered the BDD about the ears but it just started about two weeks ago and is horrible.  I love her more then life itself but am constantly bothered by the shape of her ears.  The weird thing is that I have a 2 1/2 year old son and i never had any issues with him physically so I am wondering where this came from.  My question is this.  Is it normal to have BDD about your child and what do you suggest I do to get help.  I can't keep feeling this way and I especailly don't want any of my obsessiveness to rub off on my poor innocent baby.  HELP ME

[jdtm]

I really think the main issue here is anxiety.  The daughter of a friend of mine suffers from a severe anxiety disorder and was diagnosed with BDD at 12 years of age.  I suppose it had something to do with the onset of puberty.  My friend had her daughter enrolled in a "worry/anxiety" therapy group which helped greatly.  The young girl is also on medication (I think it is Celexa).  Have you ever consulted your doctor about the possibility of an anxiety disorder?  If not, I would urge you to do so.  Treatment can produce quite quick results and a more realistic outlook on life.  By the way, anxiety is an inherited trait which will not "go away" without proper treatment.