Alex & Bryony’s West Highland Way Fundraiser

The West Highland Way is a 96 mile route in Scotland which Alex and Bryony aim to complete in 6 days. On the 7th day they will climb all 1345 metres of Ben Nevis (the tallest mountain in the UK)!

Alex and his partner Bryony are walking the West Highland Way in June 2023, to raise funds for the BDD Foundation. As someone who lives with BDD, Alex is passionate about raising awareness of BDD and being an important voice for the many people out there who are yet to speak about their condition or get support.

“I have been diagnosed with this disorder for a while now and at times it can be debilitating for myself and massively impact those who love me.”

Alex has engaged with support from the BDD Foundation, including support groups, retreat days and listening to the Beating BDD podcast. The recommended treatment for BDD is antidepressant medication combined with intensive CBT, however current waiting times in the UK to receive such psychological intervention can be lengthy.

“It is therefore essential that this charity continues to be accessible for people suffering with BDD and their loved ones.”

Alex and Bryony have chosen a walking challenge, as being outside in nature and walking helps them both manage the distressing and unwanted feelings caused by BDD.

“We are both fully aware that there are people diagnosed with severe BDD who are unable to leave the house and face the world. We aim to complete this walking challenge so that we can give these people hope that no matter how difficult things may seem, they can improve with the right help and support.”

Please support Alex and Bryony in this fantastic challenge, and help contribute to our essential ongoing support services and research.

Donate to Alex & Bryony’s Fundraising Page

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Beating BDD Podcast #28 – Tilly Kaye

“I feel very comfortable in my body today. I’m inside looking out at the world, and it’s a much more stable place to be.”

After suffering with BDD for many years, Tilly is now reaping the benefits of all the time and effort she put into recovering from the condition. Her story proves that if you keep putting in the work, you will get something out of it.

You can download the transcript for this episode here:

Tilly-Kaye-show-notesDownload

BDD through fashion photography

Ellesha has channelled her experience of Body Dysmorphic Disorder into her fashion photography as part of her MA.

“I’m Ellesha, a fashion photography MA student. I had been struggling with body dysmorphia on and off for many years. When I moved to London I felt a pressure to look a certain way and my body dysmorphia took over my whole life, to the point that I couldn’t leave my flat for days because I was obsessed with what I looked like. It effected my studies, my job, my friendships and relationships I felt like it had taken every part of me that I once loved.”

“I wanted to express the way I was feeling through my art. I find that self portraiture is the best way to convey what I’m truly feeling and it expresses a vulnerability that I can only get from being the model.”

“I began by getting 3D scanned whilst wearing lingerie, this was daunting but I felt most at one with my body this way. I then manipulated the images in various ways to express the way my mind felt about my body. The results became un-human and alien like as I distorted myself to be unrecognisable.”

“As I began to work on the ideas, I heavily researched the disorder and the aspect of mind body dualism meaning I was able to better understand my situation and find ways of slowly accepting myself.”


“I hope that by making this work I can show that body dysmorphic disorder can have hugely devastating effects on the everyday life and completely change the perception we have of ourselves. But to show that no one is alone in experiencing it and there is a light at the end of tunnel.”

Follow Ellesha’s work here:

Instagram: @elldoubledaze 

https://ElleshaDoubleday.com

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BBC Room 5 speaks to Tilly

Ellesha has channelled her experience of Body Dysmorphic Disorder into her fashion photography as part of her MA.

This week, Tilly was featured on the BBC Sounds’ Room 5 Medical Mysteries program with broadcaster Helena Merriman. Tilly explains how, from an early age, she, never felt right in her body and how utterly disorientating that is, until one day she sat down with a therapist to put a label on that feeling.

BDD is misunderstood – even in the medical profession where the average time from recognising there is a problem to an actual diagnosis is 10 years! In that time, lives can spiral out of control, social, family and professional life can diminish to zero.

“From the outside, Tilly seems to have life figured out. She works in fashion, lives on a house-boat – for which she’s done all the plumbing and electrics. But inside, she’s struggling. She’s always felt wrong in her body – ever since school. Then one afternoon, Tilly sits down with a therapist – who fits the pieces of the puzzle together and gives Tilly a diagnosis. Tilly’s diagnosis explains the way her brain is wired – now her challenge is to re-wire it, and change her future.”

Listen to the podcast by following this link

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Hurt to Healing podcast

Ellesha has channelled her experience of Body Dysmorphic Disorder into her fashion photography as part of her MA.

Pandora launched the Hurt to Healing podcast earlier this year. She opens about about the ‘uphill battle’ she has with her mental health for years. She has now begun ‘to see some glimmers of light’. As part of her own recovery, she has made it her ‘mission to support as many of you as possible on your own healing journey’. In this podcast she speaks to wonderful people from all walks of life who have opened up about their own invisible struggles in the hope that it will provide a bit of solace and comfort for some of you. She speaks to leading experts and doctors about different disorders and therapies that might help expand your knowledge on the world of mental health.

Please follow @hurttohealingpod

In her latest episodes she has focused on Body Dysmorphic Disorder by interviewing our lovely ambassador Charlie King

Since leaving the reality show, The Only Way Is Essex in 2015, Charlie has struggled with both depression and body dysmorphic disorder. The pandemic was a challenging time for all of us. And Charlie admits that psychologically he was not in a good place, which led him to get surgery on his nose. Charlie now uses his platform to call for mental health awareness on this issue, and I’m so glad to be able to get the chance to talk to him about it today.

Listen to the podcast by following this link

Pandora follows up with some expert knowledge on BDD from our trustee

Dr Amita Jassi.

Dr Jassi is a consultant, clinical psychologist at the National and Specialist OCD, BDD and Related Disorder Service for Children and Young People. Body dysmorphic disorder affects about one in 50 people. We discuss why it’s such a debilitating condition, why there is a lack of insight into it and I ask her about what treatment and therapies are available.

Listen to the podcast by following this link

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Christmas Special – Managing BDD in the holidays

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Olfactory Reference Disorder

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BDD and Relationships

Autumn Webinars | with Andy Hall, Kim Booker, Lawrence Baker and Kitty Wallace

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Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) with BDD

Autumn Webinars | with Andy Hall, Kim Booker, Lawrence Baker and Kitty Wallace

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Managing Social Media and BDD

Autumn Webinars | with Andy Hall, Kim Booker, Lawrence Baker and Kitty Wallace

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The Body Dysmorphic Disorder Foundation. Charity no. 1153753.