Characterized by tormenting compulsive behaviours and obsessive thoughts concerning appearance, Body Dysmorphic Disorder is often mistaken as vanity, yet it is a serious and chronic psychological condition with life threatening consequences. BDD affects approximately 1 in every 50 people and despite its prevalence, is severely under recognized.
BDDchat is a campaign designed to portray the experience of the disorder in an accessible way and initiate meaningful conversations in order to create an empowerment of knowledge that will enable personal
help seeking.
help seeking.
Ambient graphics – Interruptions of BDD behaviour in the form of vinyl sticker narratives.
The specific placements are situations where a sufferer will experience anxiety because of BDD. Typical symptoms and experiences of the disorder are represented in the narratives, which each have a relationship with its’ placement.
Poster Series and Pocket Book – Displayed in proximity to the Ambient Stickers.
The posters are designed to remain whole or layered to create distorted figures that reflect the perspective of the disorder.
The pocket book provides more information about BDD in an accessible way tailored to perspective of the user, a sufferer vs. an outside party, opposed to clinical information aimed at professional.
Comprehensive Website
The Homepage consists of the characters, reinforcing the experience of
the disorder first. Similar to the booklet, information is broken up by point of view making perspective the focus.
the disorder first. Similar to the booklet, information is broken up by point of view making perspective the focus.
The ‘Connect’ page aims to initiate meaningful conversations online that will encourage the same in a real life environment.
The ‘Support’ page offers a starting point for those wanting to seek help but aren’t sure how or aren’t quite ready. It begins with an interactive test that determines the severity level of their BDD. The user is then presented with personalised advice on what to do, where to seek help and other forms of online support.
They can then go through a number of basic therapy activities that I’ve adapted from cognitive-behavioural therapy readings, which offer more insight into how the disorder works and provides an example of what they can expect in therapy.
