Body Dysmorphic Disorders can be challenging to diagnose because they’re not always characterized by severe symptoms. If you have an obsessive or unhealthy fixation with your own video feed on conference calls, you may have Zoom Dysmorphia. Add to that the increased social isolation that many people are experiencing during COVID-19, and you have a recipe for a truly severe dysmorphic state. These issues are compounded by the fact that some people are required to spend not minutes but hours every day in video calls. The short focal length of a webcam can even distort the size and shape of your face (again, the “fun house mirror” effect). Unflattering lighting, deceptive camera angles, and pixelation can significantly alter the way you look. It shows you not a reflection of your appearance but a distortion of it. To someone with these types of tendencies (and for many people with no history of dysmorphic disorders), a webcam can be much more sinister than a mirror. But recently, technology and the budding work-from-home culture have caused yet another trigger to emerge: the webcam. Then social media came along and complicated matters even more. 1 trigger for people with body and face dysmorphia. Traditionally, the household mirror was the No. The condition is believed to be more common than anorexia and schizophrenia and at least as common as obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, the real number is likely much higher as many people suffer in silence, never divulging their condition publicly. The International OCD Foundation reports that as much as 2.9% of the general population suffers from Body Dysmorphic Disorder. They may obsess over the appearance of their skin, nose, teeth, or other features, perceiving their appearance to be unsightly when in fact their own minds have created a sort of “fun house mirror” effect. This is a condition in which an individual has a warped perception of their facial features. Named for the popular video conferencing app that has become ubiquitous in recent months, Zoom Dysmorphia is a form of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), more specifically a facial dysmorphia. So what can be done about it? What Is Zoom Dysmorphia? It’s becoming a real issue.Īs more professionals and students spend their days in video conference calls to avoid the COVID scourge, they’re forced to spend long periods of time staring at their distorted likeness, and it’s having a serious mental health impact. You may have heard the term “Zoom Dysmorphia” mentioned on the Today Show and in other media recently.

What is zoom dysmorphia