Susan Rachele on Negative Body Image: 4 Ways It Affects You

Susan Rachele suffers from a mental condition known as Body Dysmorphic Disorder, or BDD. A person suffering from BDD sees his or her body as flawed. It may have to do with weight issues, a physical flaw such as scars, an unflattering mole, or any other perceived deformity. Where a "normal" person would be quick to brush off such flaws, someone with BDD behaves otherwise; often becoming so obsessed with the perceived flaw to the point of avoiding social interactions and undergoing numerous cosmetic procedures to become more beautiful—or acceptable in public.

When a person has a poor or negative body image, certain disorders may develop, foremost of which is an eating disorder. A poor body image affects the person in four distinct ways:

1. Body perception or Perceptual Body Image. You see your body as flawed even if it really isn't. You have a specific perception of your body where you may see it as too fat or too thin, or too dark or too white, or in other ways that aren't the accurate representation of your body.

2. How your body makes you feel or Affective Body Image. How you feel about your body can elicit either satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Where perceptual body image is related to how you see your body, affective body image is more concerned with how you feel about it.

3. How you think about your body or Cognitive Body Image. This isn't the same as perceptual body image. So as not to be confused, cognitive body image is related to how you think about your body, along the lines of "If only I were a little thinner, I would be more popular, or "If I had more muscles, I would be more accepted by my peers," and so on.

4. Your behavior based on your body image or Behavioral Body Image. With a distorted body image, your behavior can be deeply affected by it. This is where certain disorders, such as an eating disorder, may develop as mentioned above. Your body image affects your behavior in extreme ways.

For Susan Rachele, seeing a cognitive behavior therapist is an important part of her recovery process. Her CBT is helping her cope and overcome her BDD.