200 selfies a day: The school boy whose quest for the perfect picture nearly drove him to suicide

19-year-old Danny Bowman was diagnosed with Body Dysmorphic Disorder; sufferers feel an excessive anxiety about personal appearance.

13:53 25 March 2014

19-year-old Danny Bowman had thoughts of ending his life after he became addicted to taking ‘perfect’ selfies. He was 15 years old when he started and on some days would spend 10 hours per day doing the same thing. His addiction caused him to lose almost two stone in weight and for him to drop out of school. 

 

Obsessed to take the perfect picture, he stayed inside his house in Newcastle upon Tyne for six months. When he failed to take the flawless shot, he tried to kill himself by taking an overdose. After being saved by his mother, he was forced to seek professional help for his condition -- OCD and Body dysmorphic disorder – an excessive anxiety about personal appearance. 

 

With the help of therapy, his technology addiction was treated. He has not taken a picture of himself in seven months. 

 

He said: 'I was constantly in search of taking the perfect selfie and when I realised I couldn’t I wanted to die. I lost my friends, my education, my health and almost my life.”

 

'The only thing I cared about was having my phone with me so I could satisfy the urge to capture a picture of myself at any time of the day.'