Feeling Good about the Way You Look

In a society where a blemish or “bad hair” can ruin an otherwise perfect day, and airbrushed abs dominate the magazine rack, many people feel ashamed of their bodies. Whether they’ve stopped socializing because of an imagined defect or spent thousands on skin care, hair growth products, or plastic surgery, Feeling Good About the Way You Look helps men and women with exaggerated concerns about their appearance break free from the mirror and get their lives back on track. Self-assessment tools help readers understand their problems and decide whether they should be evaluated for Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), a severely distressing level of dissatisfaction with one’s body. Step-by-step guidelines teach them to overcome discouraging thoughts, curtail obsessive appearance rituals, and see themselves realistically. With a chapter for friends and family members who suspect a loved one may be struggling with body image issues, this is the perfect starting point for those who want to help themselves or someone they care about make peace with their looks.

Author Biography

Sabine Wilhelm, PhD, is founder and director of the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Clinic and Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital and a faculty member at Harvard Medical School. She is internationally recognized as a leading researcher in BDD and is the principal investigator of an NIMH-funded study to develop and test a cognitive-behavioral treatment for the disorder. Her areas of clinical and research interest include the diagnosis and treatment of BDD, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and Tourette’s disorder.