Health news blog

People with BDD sometimes avoid taking a job they’d really like. Jobs that involve a lot of interaction with others, especially if the defect will be exposed, are especially avoided. I’ve seen many people who had a solitary job, such as a night watchman. As one person told me, “I can’t do any kind of job where I have to be up close to people. I don’t want people to see my facial abnormalities. I think they’re noticing how ugly I am, and I worry that they’ll think less of me because of it.”

Tony took jobs he didn’t really like because he didn’t want other people to see him. He had always longed to be a high school teacher and football coach, but he hadn’t pursued these jobs because of his chin. Instead, he’d worked at office jobs where he sat in a back room doing solitary work. “I’ve been underemployed because of my appearance problem,” he said. “I haven’t met my potential or gone after the kind of job I’ve really wanted. When opportunities for advancement came along I turned them down because they always involved being around people more. I didn’t want a job where people would see me. I would have felt too ashamed.” Another man said something similar: “I could have a much better job if it wasn’t for this problem. I haven’t been able to get promotions to positions that involve more social interaction. I’ve stuck to more technical jobs. I would have liked to advance.”

Use of camouflage can also interfere with work. One young man, who wore a hat to cover his hair, told me, “I’m a pretty smart guy, and I should have a much better job than I do. But I can’t look for a decent job with this stupid hat. I can’t dress up in a jacket and tie and wear this ridiculous thing on my head!” Another man, who thought that his nose was crooked and covered his face with long hair, didn’t look for jobs because he couldn’t remove the curtain of hair from his face.

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