Depression/BDD

I have Chronic Depression. My therapist has been trying to also push the diagnosis of BDD onto me!

BDD is a "perceived" imperfection....my scenario is not perceived, it is real.

What is the real imperfection if you don't mind my asking? You don't have to answer.

Same as always....unable to build bulky muscles and I have thinning hair

I think BDD is not always about whether or not the issue is perceived (it may be existent but really quite minor) it may also cover the level of obsession.

On the muscle front I googled the people you hold up as ideal and quite frankly it seems to me they carry a level of muscle not to be expected of the average man.

Being unable to build any sort of bulk is one thing but you seem to expect not just to have muscles but to have extreme muscle mass.

Is it possible you are blowing the balding out of proportion? Is it really as noticeable as you think?

In the end though if you do have BDD you aren't really going to accept the fact that your problem is not a problem. That is why one is considered to have BDD, isn't it?

Life is Cruel! Most guys have this stuff naturally...I cannot attain neither by any means.

Hi Life, I'm thinking maybe (apart from.........) BDD because of how negatively you compare yourself to so many other guys?? I just get the feeling from chatting that if you were to see someone else with exactly the same physic as you, you'd be thinking they looked a lot better than you.........you wouldn't be judging them anywhere near as negatively as you are yourself, you wouldn't necessarily be seeing parts of them as "imperfections", or things that mattered so much???
But the "apart from............" I'm thinking that's a really big thing here. You do want something specific and you're right there are real noticable differences but maybe it's as much an issue of self-esteem underneath all of that/underneath wanting that/underneath all that focus on..........
And I know we've talked about that but maybe some more work with your T on that too???
Anyway, sending you hugs, and here for you.



Alison

I would like to second what Alison said.

I can say I have seen more than enough untoned balding men to know you certainly aren't alone. I don't even think you or people like you would even be in a minority category.

Maybe you don't have BDD but I do think you are being a little too hard on yourself.

BDD is a horrible diagnosis to deal with, I have it and it causes a great deal of panic and depression.
There are therapists who specialize in BDD, it's a lot of work to get past these terrible thoughts, but it can be done.