By the time Jenny was 28 years old, she had already had 26 cosmetic procedures that included: botox, cheek implants, three nose jobs, veneers, three lip implants, two boob jobs, three breast lifts, and liposuction on her arms, stomach, hips, thighs and knees. In total, the surgeries have cost her $80,000. Thousands watched the married mother of one tearfully relay her story on Oprah about her obsession with plastic surgery. That was in 2005. She reappeared on Oprah several months later insisting she had called it quits. Since then, however, Jenny has appeared on other shows admitting she could not stop. Jenny has what psychologists call body dysmorphic disorder (BDD).

BDD is a mental disorder, in which one has an unrealistic, disturbed body image of his/herself, despite the fact there may be no noticeable disfigurement or defect. The thinking of people with BDD is quite different than those who simply have a critique or two about a particular body part. People with BDD believe that they are so unspeakably hideous that they are unable to interact with others or function normally for fear of ridicule and humiliation at their appearance. As a result, many may literally never leave the house for socializing or work.

"When I look in the mirror, I see somebody who is non-human," said 24-year-old Taryn, another BDD guest that appeared on the same Oprah show. "I've had times when I've actually felt physically ill because I can't understand how a person could look like this; how God could create somebody that looks like this."

At its worse, people with BDD may develop thoughts of suicide. "After I was housebound and started not going out, things were bad," said 33-year-old Taifa in her testimonial to the Body Dysmorphic Disorder and Body Image Program at Butler Hospital, Providence, RI. "I started thinking about killing myself a lot more and it was just a really dark place." Fortunately, Taifa was able to seek help from a BDD therapist at UCLA.

Katharine Phillips, MD, director of the BDD program and author of "The Broken Mirror" book on BDD, said the magnitude of BDD can not be underestimated. "BDD is a serious psychiatric illness," she said on Oprah. "It's not vanity. And it can be absolutely tormenting. Most people with BDD don't want to be unusually beautiful. Most people just want to look normal, and acceptable. It's so difficult for people to understand this illness. Family members try to talk to the person out of their concern...'You're beautiful.' But that doesn't work. You need the right psychiatric treatment to get better."

According to her program's research, people with BDD often describe themselves as looking "ugly," "unattractive," "not right," "deformed," "hideous" or "monstrous." These individuals may also have depression, social anxiety or obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Other symptoms, said the program's experts, are: the perceived defect with clothes, makeup, a hat, or other types of cover; frequently checking or avoiding mirrors or other reflecting surfaces; comparing their appearance with that of other people; frequently changing their clothes, picking their skin, asking others for reassurance about their appearance and exercising and dieting excessively.

In Jenny's case, it was an obsession with plastic surgery. "I still see a lot of things that are wrong," said Jenny on Oprah's show. "I mean, it just depends on the day. It's been a battle that I've had with my poor self-esteem that started a long time ago and the continuous need to feel like I should fit in somehow, and I never can fit in. ...I'm obsessed with it, I don't know what an addict is. I've never been addicted to drugs. I've never been addicted to alcohol. I've never been an alcoholic. So if this is what addiction is, then, yes, I'm addicted to it. I think about it all the time."

Jenny expected her BDD started during her last marriage. "My ex-husband told me that my nose was too big, that my boobs were too small, so eventually I got a boob job to stop the comments," she added.

Although BDD sufferers tend to obsess about the face, many have preoccupations with other parts of their bodies (i.e. legs, torso, buttocks, feet). Because of this, BDD is also associated with OCD. Some controversially speculate it has similarities to body identity integrity disorder (BID). BID is the overwhelming desire to amputate one or more healthy limbs or other parts of their body. However, unlike people with BDD, people with BID are said to have a subconscious envy of amputees, perhaps due to the sympathy amputees receive from society.

Although the cause of BDD is not completely known, experts think it may be due to a chemical imbalance in the brain. An insufficient level of serotonin, one of the brain's neurotransmitters involved in mood and pain, may contribute to the disorder, explained Wikipedia. Although such an imbalance in the brain is unexplained, it may be hereditary noted Wikipedia. Common treatment for BDD includes extensive therapy and/or medication.

For more information on BDD or its treatments, contact the Body Image Program.