Naperville woman raising awareness of body dysmorphic disorder

Kim Weeks never knew her charming and funny brother-in-law Tony Tze struggled with body dysmorphic disorder until he took his own life last February.

Now the triathlete and 46-year-old Naperville mother of three is nearing the end of a 100-day fitness challenge she started in October to raise awareness and funding to treat the disease.

The disorder causes sufferers to focus on a perceived flaw or flaws in their appearance — sometimes to the point of self-isolation and suicide.

“I was surprised how many people have never heard of it,” Weeks said. “Lots of people are aware of it now who had never heard of it before.”

An employee of Naperville Running Company and an instructor at Edward Health & Fitness Center, Weeks has been chronicling her commitment to swim, bike or run at least one hour each day on a website blog, Facebook, Twitter and in emails to friends and acquaintances. Several others, including her mother, have joined her in the challenge, which ends Sunday, Jan. 8.

As of late December, the effort had raised nearly $8,000 for Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health Hospital in Hoffman Estates, where her brother-in-law was treated. But the bigger purpose has been simply to make people aware of the disease, Weeks said.

“We have all had bad hair days or woke up to find a blemish or some type of imperfection. We take a few extra moments to fix it, then go on with our day,” Weeks wrote in a news release about the Tri for Tony challenge.

“BDD is that feeling times about 10,000. They can't move on, as desperately as they might want to. They are consumed by these thoughts and are certain that they are hideous, unlovable, and others are staring and making fun of them.”

Researchers believe at least 1 percent of the population suffers from BDD, which was first documented in the late 1800s and crosses gender and socio-economic lines. It's more common than schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder, but far less talked about because sufferers don't want to draw attention to their perceived flaws and feel shamed by their disorder.

“One of the biggest fears is people will think they're vain. It's not that simple,” Weeks said.

Those suffering from BDD don't necessarily want to look beautiful or perfect; many just want to feel they are normal, she said. What they see in the mirror doesn't reflect reality because they are obsessed with flaws that others may not even notice. Weeks said that was the case with her brother-in-law, who struggled with depression but otherwise appeared normal.

“He was charming and actually very good-looking,” she said. “He was funny. He was engaged.”

Downward spiral

Weeks' sister, Beth Tze of Palatine, said her husband of 10 years told her early in their relationship about his disorder, but for years had seemed able to manage it. He had been diagnosed in medical school after an event that left him hospitalized with suicidal thoughts.

“I saw social anxiety, but I didn't see inability to function,” Beth said. “His presentation to the community was one of aloofness.”

The couple married in 2001 and brought Beth's three children and his daughter into the relationship. Tony was happy practicing medicine — respected by his patients and colleagues in a River Forest practice.

But after 10 years, Tze felt his problems with functioning were affecting the practice and he left for a new position in St. Louis, where his young daughter lived. The couple commuted back and forth on weekends.

Initially, the move seemed to fill him with hope and optimism. His colleagues in St. Louis thought he was doing well.

“It looked like things were really, really good, and they weren't,” Beth said.

She does not know what led to her husband's downhill spiral.

“My inclination was he got tired of fighting,” she said. “He didn't think he could get better.”

Beth said her hope is that her husband's nearly 12-year-old daughter, who does not know about her father's disorder, will one day understand and forgive him.

“Part of his disease was thinking everybody was better off without him,” she said.

Treating BDD

Patrick McGrath, director of the Center for Anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorders at Alexian Brothers, said BDD may go unrecognized because it is often coupled with other problems.

“It is more common in people who already have anxiety or depression,” he said.

Some of the funds raised by the Tri for Tony challenge will be used to bring in a national BDD expert to train Alexian Brothers mental health staff to recognize the disorder and ask patients the right questions about the problems they are experiencing.

BDD sufferers may become preoccupied with minor or imaginary flaws on any part of the body, including skin, hair or nose. They may check their appearance often in mirrors or avoid mirrors altogether, going so far as to cover them with construction paper. Some have repeated cosmetic surgeries, only to be unsatisfied with the outcomes.

“It's awful,” McGrath said. “It's devastating for people who have it.”

McGrath said the best treatment for BDD probably has been cognitive behavioral therapy, in which the therapist tries to get patients to recognize their beliefs about themselves may not be true. The therapist may ask patients to enter social situations without covering up their perceived blemish to see if anyone notices. However, if no one notices, the BDD sufferer often insists the other people are just being nice, McGrath said.

Raising awareness

A former journalist and communications director with the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce, Weeks said she wanted to use her background in communications and her experience as a marathon runner and triathlete to honor her brother-in-law and help others suffering with BDD.

“While it's difficult to understand, you can definitely be compassionate,” she said.

Beth Tze said she has been impressed with the support her sister has gathered. Twenty-five people came out to run when Weeks held a brunch at her Naperville home, she said.

“It's been extraordinary,” Tze said. “What she is doing has been able to raise the awareness and the commitment.”

Weeks has worked with the Alexian Brothers Foundation, which created a donation link on Weeks' website. Julie Baker, manager of the events and volunteer outreach for the foundation, said donations come in every couple days.

“This is the first time someone has come to us for BDD. Kim has been fantastic to work with,” she said. “I do think it's a disease that's been underdiagnosed.”

Weeks said she wants her efforts to give hope to others suffering from BDD.

“Help is available. You have to seek it,” she said. “You have to remember that people love you.”

For more on the Tri for Tony challenge and links to other sites with information on BDD, visit sites.google.com/site/tri4tony.

Symptoms of body dysmorphic disorder

People with BDD may engage in some of the following behaviors.

Ÿ Checking appearance often, specifically the disliked body part, in mirrors and other reflective surfaces.

Ÿ Avoiding mirrors.

Ÿ Frequently asking friends if they look OK.

Ÿ Spending a lot of time grooming: combing or rearranging hair, applying makeup, tweezing, shaving, etc.

Ÿ Excessive skin picking in effort to make skin look better.

Ÿ Worrying that others take a negative opinion their appearance. Worrying people are making fun of the way they look.

Ÿ Difficulty in leaving the house because of their appearance.

Ÿ Wanting cosmetic surgery despite others (doctors and friends) saying it isn't necessary

Ÿ Having multiple cosmetic surgeries yet being unsatisfied with the outcome.

Ÿ Excessive exercise to improve appearance.

Ÿ Avoiding having pictures taken.

Ÿ Becoming anxious, depressed, frustrated or angry about their appearance.

Ÿ Being late for engagements because of time spent fixing an appearance problem.

* From sites.google.com/site/tri4tony