Does your adopted child have a self-image disorder? Perhaps your adopted child is suffering from a body dysmorphic disorder. People with this condition are convinced that they are ugly. Apparently while processing things that they see which includes their own image, they have some sort of glitch in brain processing. Those with body dysmorphic disorder besides having a dramatically distorted self-image, also have obsessive thoughts about minor, or imagined defects in their appearance. While the exact cause of the disorder is unknown, experts agree that genetics as well as a person’s upbringing are contributing factors. Approximately two percent of the world’s population is affected by body dysmorphic disorder.

People with body dysmorphic disorder refuse to believe a person who says he cannot see their flaws. They refuse to accept complements about their appearance and may undergo repeated cosmetic surgeries to repair their self-perceived flaws. However, these attempts to correct the problems are futile because it is a self-image problem. About 25 percent of people with body dysmorphic disorder attempt suicide.

Dr. Jamie Feusner who is a professor of psychiatry at the University of California at Los Angeles provided research information on body dysmorphic disorder. The findings are published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry. While 12 people with body dysmorphic disorder viewed black and white images of people's faces, Dr. Feusner's team performed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain scans on them. Then they repeated the process using people who did not have body dysmorphic disorder and compared the results. While the research team found no structural differences in the brains, they did see differences in how the right and left sides of the brain worked in people with body dysmorphic disorder.

Apparently, this is the first evidence of a biological abnormality contributing to the symptoms. The people with body dysmorphic disorder processed more on their brain's left side than on the right side during the brain scans. The left side of the brain is specialized for analytic and detail processing. Body dysmorphic disorder is more common in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder and tends to run in families.

Older adopted children frequently struggle with self-esteem, self-image, and obsessive-compulsive issues. This is probably due to the early neglect or abuse that they suffered and coping mechanisms that they developed.

Photo Credit 2007 Julia Fuller