The Butterfly Girl
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.