'I will be at death's door and realize that I've wasted maybe half of my life on one body part': the experience of living with body dysmorphic disorder.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of patients living with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), including their experiences with the health care system.


METHODS
Fifteen individuals with BDD were interviewed, and interpretive description was used to analyse the interviews.


RESULTS
The following six themes were identified: being absorbed in time-consuming procedures, facing tension between one's own ideal and the perceived reality, becoming the disorder, being restricted in life, attempting to reduce one's problems and striving to receive care. The overarching concept derived from the themes was feeling imprisoned - struggling to become free and to no longer feel abnormal.


CONCLUSIONS
Ideas of imprisonment and abnormality compose the entire experience of living with this disorder. Although the participants suffered greatly from their BDD, these patients encountered difficulties in accessing health care and had disappointing experiences during their encounters with the health care system. Therefore, it is important to increase awareness and knowledge of BDD among health care professionals to ensure that patients with BDD receive the appropriate care.
a Unit of Medical Psychology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences , Linköping University , Linköping , Sweden ;|b Department of Paediatrics and Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine , Linköping University , Linköping , Sweden ;
Sabina
S
Brohede
c Gender and Medicine, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences , Linköping University , Linköping , Sweden ;
Barbro
B
Wijma
a Unit of Medical Psychology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences , Linköping University , Linköping , Sweden ;
Klaas
K
Wijma
d Faculty of Medicine and Health , School of Health Sciences, Örebro University , Örebro , Sweden.
Karin
K
Blomberg
D000328:Adult; D057215:Body Dysmorphic Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D063545:Personal Narratives as Topic; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013548:Sweden; D055815:Young Adult
Body dysmorphic disorder; body image; interview; qualitative research