To clarify, I’m not talking about anything to do with test driven development.
For the moment, just putting out feelers to see if anyone else has or has had the same problem.
Its not something I feel comfortable admitting to, due to its perceived superficial nature - and the fact that in the game of mental health top trumps I think it comes quite low down.
I don’t, but I know several people that do.
Out of interest - are they developers or in a similar role. And has it affected their work?
One thing I read about BDD is it that although on the surface it may seem to be about body image, it is actually a manifestation of a fear of being judged. I can’t confirm that , but it seems to make sense.
Nope, not developers. I can tell you, though, that my friend who suffers from it the most from my perspective also has had a favorite phrase for years, “don’t judge me!”
Speaking as a therapist for a sec, I know it may not feel like it, but BDD is considered to be a very important --not at all superficial-- issue by most therapy professionals including myself. I know it’s not talked about as much as some other disorders yet it can be quite debilitating; it is likely much more prevalent in software development than one might guess.
The good news is there are very effective treatments and many people that specialize in that family of issues. It takes a lot of courage to get past the discomfort of reaching out to a professional, but I can virtually guarantee that you’ll find the experience worth it and a game-changer.
One thing I am interested in as a developer with BDD, is any relationship with perfectionism, imposter syndrome and general issues of being judged.
I’ve been diagnosed with BDD since 2001 and it has improved a lot over the years. The issues directly related to body image have subsided, but other issues such as the ones mentioned above remain.
I think I may. It’s never come up amongst the slew of other issues I’ve discussed with therapists, but I definitely hate, hate, hate my body, hate having people look at me, hate being in public, etc. It’s like a nasty perfect storm of being overweight, social anxiety, BDD, being female in tech (and in general), etc. For a while I seriously considered perusing gender reassignment since a good chunk of my dysmorphia was related to that.
Seconding the judgement / imposter syndrome stuff. That makes a ton of sense.