Hello. I was a sufferer of extreme BDD for nearly three years, starting around February 2010. Though I had BDD before that it was never so acute that it significantly impacted my life. For about two years I had turned into a recluse. I suffered from extreme depression and also had strong OCD in the form of taking pictures of myself and not being able to stop looking in the mirror for hours on end. I was really messed up. Thankfully I overcame it and I wish to share how.
The following steps aren't necessary for everyone of course but they represent my personal journey of how I improved. I think the worst thing you can do as a sufferer of BDD is to shut yourself up and block out your friends, etc. My BDD grew worse in the first place because after graduating I moved back to my parents' town where I didn't know anyone and spent most of my time alone in my house on the internet. This is really what messed me up more than anything else. Rather than applying for jobs I wasted all my time on negative websites like 4chan and drowned in video games instead of doing something productive. Over time I grew more depressed and my mental state deteriorated further and further which left me in a hopeless pit of BDD. So, never, and I mean NEVER, shut yourself away from your friends and the outside world 'cause once you do you've fallen into the pit and it gets extremely hard to crawl your way out of it.
Let's say you're already in that hole as I'm sure many of you are. If you're unemployed and stuck in the jobless trench I suggest the first thing you do is get a job. You gotta get yourself into a routine that gets you out of the house every day and you need to socialise with your friends. You need these two things more than anything else, trust me.
In my case, I was lucky because I ended up moving to another country where I had another home. I had a really close friend of mine there and a change of scene really helped. If you can attain this, I highly recommend that you try it out. Going from full recluse to suddenly being thrust into a far more social atmosphere was extremely hard in the beginning. God I think about it now and I'm actually amazed at how I was and how far I've come. I found it so difficult just to look at people in the eye when they spoke and imagined that they were looking at my perceived flaw on my face. This is the hardest part but you have to push through it, and remember that you WILL push through it if you just keep trying. The difference of how I am now to how I was then is just incredible. Back then I literally couldn't think of anything apart from BDD and felt rotten all the time.
If you are like what I was then, then you likely haven't told anyone about your BDD irl because you're too embarrassed about it. I only spoke to one guy about my BDD and he was a friend online but nobody in real life. While online chat helps, it simply isn't enough. Telling a real person in front of you in real life makes all the difference. I ended up telling my best friend about my BDD and he was actually shocked. He couldn't even see my 'defect' that I was complaining about and he actually thought I was lying. If you have anybody close enough to talk to, I suggest you do because it's a very idea to bottle this #######4 up.
I started seeing a shrink and thankfully she ended up being a good one. She really helped me out. I guess saw her for about two months or so until I had another breakdown and refused to see her. I never saw her again but I know for a fact that she really aided me. Therapy is very important and you should get it.
I finally started an SSRI (Prozac) and was on it for just over two months. This is probably what helped the most. It was like a new perspective and I generally felt happier of course.
It's not going to be easy unfortunately. It's not quite like pulling off a band-aid because it's slower than that and takes way more time to heal. You also need to be consistent. The most important thing you can do though is GET OUTSIDE AND DON'T SHUT YOURSELF OUT TO THE WORLD. You NEED to socialise. The more you let the illness win by being reclusive, the worse you will get. I'm not exactly the way I used to be like five years back but you can't imagine how much better I am than how I was just two years ago. I was in absolute hell. Every single day was mental torment and I had suicidal ideation all the time. Some days I'd even cut at my skin but thankfully I never had the will to actually cut an artery. Now I'm far from suicidal and I'm confident again and have a good social life, meet girls, etc.
I remember once I was browsing some BDD forums online and I was reading people's stories about what they were complaining about and the things were always so trivial e.g. dark circles under eyes, supposed 'scars' that nobody else can see, a small discoloured spot on the lip, freckles, asymmetry, etc. IT'S ALL IN OUR HEADS. Any time somebody posted a pic of the 'problem' everybody else genuinely didn't think it was a big deal. You need to understand that your fixation is the same - it's a big deal to you but, as per the definition of BDD, nobody else cares! Really try to think about this point because it was one of the keys I needed to getting better.
I don't know how much I've helped because I know how terrible BDD is along with the depression that comes with it. You've read countless posts online I'm sure about getting better and in a depressed mindset these are only more words sprawled on an internet page. Believe me though, I understand and this is more than just rhetoric if you want it to be. In order to beat this thing, YOU have to actually WANT to get better and in order to do that you need to NOT isolate yourself no matter what. Seek therapy, seek SSRIs if you need them, get your old friends back and/or make new ones and get out of the house daily. Exercise as well, work out, it feels great. If you have a good enough friend, confide in him or her and allow them to get better. Don't shut yourself out from parties or any other social occasions. Don't let social anxiety interfere with your path to improvement and don't allow delusions to cloud your thoughts and impact your life. Remember, you have to pull yourself out of this and if you REALLY try, you can. It's just going to take time. There will be good and bad days most definitely, ups and downs, days you slip and don't want to leave your room, but if you just keep at it, the general trajectory WILL be upwards and you'll improve over time.
If you have any questions or anything feel free to ask itt or PM me. Good luck. I wish you all the very best.