Do Doctors Know to Even Look for Body Dysmorphic Disorder?

Hi Dr. Rassman
I truly believe that HT surgeons like yourself offering good and honest advice to the general public, are few and far between. As we both know hairloss can be a devastating condition for any man. My severe worry is, that given this invaluable tool we call the internet, alot of misplaced paranoia is given to very young people (17-25) who should be enjoying their youth and the best years of their lives. It is of major concern to me, given the easily accessed nature of the internet, how (a minority) of young men (and women) may be posting pictures of their hair when there really is nothing wrong with their appearance.

I only mention this as i myself am a long term sufferer of a mental disorder know as “Body Dismorphic Disorder” and although there is nothing wrong with my hair, i have severe BDD. I know BBD sufferers are a minority but i believe especially when it comes to cosmetic procedures, sadly for alot of sufferers (especially the young) it is often overlooked.

My main question is, do professionals as yourself check for such (sometimes severe) disorders when assessing a patient and given the devastation they can cause among sufferers, how do surgeons like yourself deal with, what can be life or death situations for sufferers of this chronic condition?

Thank you for your time

I obviously can’t speak for all doctors, but we do occasionally see men and women with body dysmorphic disorder in our clinic, and for some of those patients much of the consult time is spent on counseling them.

Most of the time these patients are already under care for BDD when we see them, but otherwise we refer them to psychiatrists.