DANNY BOWMAN
Danny Bowman became a Fixer in September 2013
About
Spending up to ten hours staring in the mirror
and taking hundreds of selfies every day, Danny
Bowman became so obsessed with his appearance
at the age of 15 that he became housebound for
six months. He didnt realise it at the time, but he
was in the grip of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD).
He was only diagnosed after he started therapy
shortly after he was rushed to hospital following a
suicide attempt.
Danny Bowman decided to become a Fixer after
spotting an advert online about the charity. He
had not long been in recovery and decided that he
wanted to raise awareness of BDD after learning
that while at least one in 100 people in the UK
have the anxiety disorder, the mental health
condition remains relatively little-known and
poorly understood.
With Fixers, Danny made a short film called
Perfection is Impossible based on his personal
experience of BDD.
What happened...
Direct Outcomes
Skills & Confidence: When Danny started his Fix
he was just a few months into his recovery. Today
he remains in demand for media interviews across
the world and he sees himself as a changed man.
Keen to forge a career in politics, Danny secured his
first job working for an MP and moved to London
from his home in the North East in early 2014. He
believes his Fixers campaign was crucial in helping
him to get the job. Having everything I had done
with Fixers on my CV helped me to get that job.
It made me stand out from the crowd and it was
something different from the normal GCSE and
A-level results. Danny has recently started an
exciting new job working for a political strategist.
Without Fixers giving me that level of confidence
and opportunity, I would never be where I am
now, he says.
Resolution of Personal Issue: Danny believes that
he is now completely free of his BDD. My Fixers
campaign was extremely helpful in my recovery.
It gave me something to focus on. Knowing that
I was helping other people in the process was a
brilliant feeling.
His Fixers campaign went viral and caught the
worlds attention. As well as appearing in a host
of UK national papers and TV shows, Dannys
story was covered internationally by hundreds of
publications and news sites including Le Figaro, Fox
News, Time Magazine and the Sydney Morning
Herald. It was reported in countries as far-flung
as Russia, Bolivia, Indonesia, China, Lebanon and
Pakistan.
He was flown out to New York by ABC to be filmed
for their primetime news programme 20/20, and
he has been interviewed by TV stations based in
Australia, Brazil, Sweden, Japan, Germany and
India, amongst other countries. His story has been
seen by millions of people worldwide.
Danny first showcased his Fixers project to an
audience of experts, charity bosses and family
friends at a launch event in Newcastle.
Now I have beaten BDD, I can leave the house in
ten minutes and get to work on time all the time.
Its been a huge process. I have had treatment
and therapy but I still think 75 to 80 per cent of
the reason I got better was down to Fixers. The
recovery stage is normally about a year. Being
able to go from just coming out of treatment to
being able to speak on an international level has
been incredible, and thats all down to Fixers.
Voice: Before signing up as a Fixer, Danny says he
had no experience of public speaking. I had never
really spoken in front of audience before and now,
thanks to Fixers, I have spoken out on a global
basis. That has opened a huge number of doors
for me. It feels extremely empowering and it feels
like I am empowering others too in the process.
Without that platform, I wouldnt have been able
to reach so many people.
Awareness of Groups at Risk:
Since going public with his story, Danny has
received scores of messages from young
people who said they had gone through similar
experiences and appreciated him speaking out.
Here is just a sample of the comments Danny has
attracted:
The screening was attended by a panel of experts
including Cognitive Therapist Rob Willson. He said:
Dannys project is an inspiration. Not only has
he courageously overcome his BDD, he is making
a real difference by speaking out about it. BDD
is amongst the most distressing and destructive
of all psychiatric disorders, affecting as much as
two per cent of the population, yet is very poorly
understood or recognised. Raising awareness of
BDD will make a big difference by helping sufferers
to recognise the problem and feel less isolated. It
will also help health professionals to recognise the
problem more readily and hopefully guide those
with BDD more quickly to the right treatment.
In the early stages of his campaign, Danny also
visited a couple of schools in his local area to
showcase his film to hundreds of pupils. It was
extremely nerve-wracking to speak to people who
were only a couple of years younger than me, but
the feeling that I might be helping somebody was
brilliant, he says.
I first heard about Dannys Fixers campaign when
I saw him being interviewed on This Morning on
ITV. As a sufferer of BDD myself, I thought it was
amazing how he had brought this rather unfamiliar
disorder to the general public and media. And it
was inspiring that he was campaigning about it.
Dannys campaign has inspired me to become an
advocate for mental health in my day-to-day life,
educating people and not being afraid to share my
story. He has also made me aware that it is pos-
sible to make a change in the world yourself and
spread your message.
I just wanted to say that I think Danny is an inspi-
ration. Ive always had a relatively low self-esteem
but last year I developed an obsession about acne
and my facial features. I became so depressed and
isolated and had some very dark moments. Then
I saw Danny being interviewed on TV one morning
and I remember thinking how similar he sounded
to me. I ended up using my pain to create my
final film for my animation degree. By using a
subject that I felt strongly about, it would give me
the drive to finish it... & I did! I am in a better place
now but Im still up and down some days. Ive been
referred to a psychologist and am hoping I can
put all of this behind me. I know I will get through
this!
 DANNY BOWMAN

Danny Bowman became a Fixer in September 2013

Awareness of Wider Groups: Since working with
Fixers, Danny has become a keen campaigner on
mental health issues in general. He regularly posts
video messages on social media underlining his
commitment to tackling the stigma that exists
around mental health.
He is currently filming a documentary series with
Channel 4 about young people recovering from
various conditions, to show that there is life after
mental health. It is due to air in early 2015.
Benefits for Partner Organisations: Danny is now
working with the BODY charity, which supports
people with body image issues. He is in talks with
them about helping them to expand their work
across London and the North East.
CEO of BODY, Lauren Benton said: I always think it
takes a huge amount of confidence for someone
to stand up against the very much real stigma
that is attached to mental health. Danny is really
inspirational. Its great to see someone of his age
want to make such an impact in the mental health
industry.
Lauren says that around eight people got in touch
with her charity for help with BDD after Danny
appeared on This Morning.
Danny has also been approached by Altruist
Enterprises, an organisation which aims to raise
awareness and reduce the stigma attached to
mental health. They have invited Danny to deliver
a workshop to a school in Camden on November
28, 2014.

Long-term Outcomes:

Improved Life Chances for the Fixer: Danny is a
firm believer that becoming a Fixer changed his
life. Now that he has started his career in politics,
he says his ultimate dream job would be to
become Health Minister one day. My experience
with Fixers has inspired me to realise I can make a
real difference and in an ideal world I would like to
continue to do that at the highest level possible,
he says.
Increased Social Capital: Danny is increasingly
being seen as a key spokesman in the field of
BDD. He has already been invited to speak at the
Men Get Eating Disorders Too (MGEDT) National
Conference 2015 in Brighton next July.
Body Dysmorphia is a growing concern and the
numbers of men approaching MGEDT for support
for the condition is increasing, said founder of the
charity and former Fixer Sam Thomas.
So we invited Danny to speak about his
experience and his amazing work over the past
year to raise awareness.
Danny is also writing a regular blog for the
Huffington Post website around the theme of
mental health.
More People Seek Help or Take Action: Danny has
been working closely with a young woman called
Rebecca Sweeney who says that watching his
interview on This Morning made her realise that
she had BDD too.
She says that she has since been diagnosed with
BDD and is now on the road to recovery.
The 18-year-old from Birmingham said: If it wasnt
for Danny I think I would still be in the same state
I used to be, if not worse. I had never heard of BDD
before Dannys Fix and it really opened my eyes.
The main thing was not knowing what was wrong
with me, why did I feel like this? Why did I hate
myself so much? Why was I not normal? A lot
ran through my mind, so much that it drove me
completely insane. His bravery has made me to
be a stronger and all out, better person! I feel like
I owe a lot to Danny and to everyone at Fixers. I
cant thank them enough.
After being put in touch via Fixers, Rebecca and
Danny are now in regular contact and working to-
gether on articles for the Huffington Post. Danny
is also encouraging her to start her own Fixers
project.
Changed Social Attitudes: Since starting his Fixers
project, Danny believes that his message is having
an effect. I definitely think attitudes towards
BDD in the UK are changing, he says. People are
sitting up and taking notice now and hopefully
things will only improve from here.

I had never really spoken in front of audience before and

now, thanks to Fixers, I have spoken out on a global basis.
That has opened a huge number of doors for me. It feels
extremely empowering and it feels like I am empowering
others too in the process. Without that platform, I
wouldnt have been able to reach so many people.