Overcoming BDD Programme

We often hear from our beneficiaries how the variation across NHS services leads to difficulties when accessing evidence-based treatment. The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends that people with BDD are offered a course of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) which includes Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) in either an individual or group format[1]. However, we hear too often that people with BDD fall through the gaps between primary and secondary care and are left unable to access this treatment which is vital for recovery from BDD.

As a charity, one of our aims is to alleviate the suffering caused by BDD by providing information and support, and so we responded to the inconsistencies in statutory mental health care provision by establishing a Structured Support Group (SSG) project (now known as Overcoming BDD Project), where we deliver evidence-based CBT techniques in a group format online.

As well as increasing access by delivering CBT in a group format, we also enable peer support both between participants of the group and from our team of Peer Facilitators who all have their own experiences of BDD. Peer support is vital for people living with BDD, as the condition often makes sufferers feel isolated and alone.

The pilot phase ran from 2018-2021, where we conducted three iterations of the pilot project. We collected lots of feedback from both our participants and our Peer Facilitators, so that we could evaluate its success and make improvements. You can read our impact report below:

We are now confident that our programme is a viable option for people with BDD who are unable to access statutory care and will continue to run the 20-week programme each year.

For more information about the programme, and when we are next recruiting participants, please contact hannah@bddfoundation.org

We currently have a waiting list for the next round of this group and we would like to be able to expand this project to allow more people to take part. It costs us £3,000 per round at a cost of £84 a head. Please consider donating