新托福阅读：Body Dysmorphic Disorder

身体畸形恐惧症

Are you unhappy with your body? Learn about body dysmorphic disorder on this Moment of Science.

Psychologists estimate that one to two percent of the population has what is called body dysmorphic disorder. These people obsess over what they perceive as a terrible defect in their physical appearance.

In contrast to the case with eating disorders, where people’s concern over their physical appearance typically involves their body image as a whole, people with BDD are concerned about specific physical features. The concern often has to do with the face or head, but BDD can involve any body part.

A person with the disorder might think her nose is too big or his chest not (1)muscular enough. Sometimes the (2)perceived defect is invisible to anyone else. In other cases, such as is the case with thinning hair, the individual’s perception of that body part is extreme, far from what an objective observer sees.

People with body dysmorphic disorder spend at least an hour a day, sometimes much longer, thinking about that imperfection. They’re often so (3)self-conscious about how they look that they may avoid social activities, even work.

They may suffer extreme anxiety and depression. Much remains to be learned about BDD, but if you suspect that your cousin may have the disorder, you should advise him/her to seek help from an (4)therapist with experience with it.

译文：

身体畸形恐惧症

心理学家估计一到两成的人口有所谓的身体畸形恐惧症。这些人认为他们的外表有非常严重的缺陷，并为之困扰。

与饮食失调症形成鲜明对比的是，身体畸形恐惧症的患者更关心某一特殊的外表特征，而不是关注他们身体外观的整体形象。他们通常只关心脸或头，但是也可以涉及全身的任何一个部位。身体畸形恐惧症的人可能会认为她的鼻子太大，或者他的胸肌不够发达。有时候这些被他们感知的缺点是别人根本不会注意的。在其他情况下，如头发稀疏，个人对自己身体的感知是极端的，远不如客观的观察者所见。