The Butterfly Girl

by Racheal Baughan, Trisha Goddard (Foreword)

Racheal Baughan suffered from the illness BDD (Body Dysmorphic Disorder), a powerful and destructive condition that causes you to see a completely distorted reflection of yourself—the person in front of the mirror might be extremely good looking, but their state of mind dictates that they see a flawed and deformed image. Despite a loving and caring family, Racheal developed acute anxieties about her appearance and in her early teens took to wearing excessive make-up which, for her, acted like a mask. Then at 13 she experienced a life-shattering tragedy. Slipping into a deep depression, Racheal began to spend hours alone and became increasingly distressed about the distorted reflection of her face. She began to inhale aerosols, self-harm, and eventually developed anorexia and bulimia. Desperate to find out the cause of her daughter's problem, her mother encouraged her to participate in a television discussion show. An expert on the show was the one to identify Racheal's condition as BDD and for Racheal this was to be the turning point of her life. Racheal is now a strong, happy, and confident young woman and although a recovery from severe BDD may never be complete, Racheal has truly moved on with her life.

275 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2008

Reviews

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not sure how i feel about this book. I liked her candid writing about her experiences. But i find the book left me with more questions than answers. I would have liked to have more details about her recovery. Except the fact that she pushes herself to do the things that scares her the most, i don't understand how she's recovered.
That being said, there aren't many personal books about BDD and i really appreciate her sharing her story.

[Tiziana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The true story of a BDD (Body Dysmorphic Disorder) sufferer who is succeeding in fighting off the illness. It also shows how coercion and support from family and friends are absolutely vital to cope with life.

Personally - as a former marketing student who finds it impossible to enter such an industry because of zero confidence - I found it inspiring how she managed to work in sales, one of the toughest things to do for a BDD sufferer as working in sales also means selling through your appearance.

I think this story could inspire not only people suffering from some illness but also those who simply need a boost in their self-esteem.

[Steph Burgess · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good memoir type story of life with BDD, I've read several books like this and this particular book i found very hard to read and ended up giving up on it. I don't think it flowed very well, and it was very hard to get into.