Body Dysmorphic Disorder
A mental illness involving obsessive focus on a perceived flaw in appearance.
The flaw may be minor or imagined. But the person may spend hours a day trying to fix it. The person may try many cosmetic procedures or exercise to excess.
People with this disorder may frequently examine their appearance in a mirror, constantly compare their appearance with that of others, and avoid social situations or photos.
Treatment may include counseling and antidepressant medication.
Cluster Number:
Wiki Number: W024
Diagnosis: Body Dysmorphic Disorder
US Patients: US2%
World Patients:
Sex Ratio:
Age Onset: Age 12
Brain Area:
Symptoms: Ruminates about a real or exaggerated flaw, tries to hide or uses plastic surgery
Progression: 1/3 delusional, may “pick at it” and create scars, emotional hyper-arousal, social withdrawal
Causes: Those with poor self-image get proccupied and take more “selfies” which makes it worse.
Medications: anti-depressants; I (Jim Lohr) suspect women worry about features; men about sizes of body parts.
Therapies: CBT-clarifying the false observations
Youtube Video: Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Youtube Video: Because I’m Ugly
Amazon or Library Book: Shattered Image
Amazon or Library Book: Body Dysmorphic Disorder,
Mine and Yours
Click the book to link or order from Amazon.
Click the book to link or order from Amazon.
Support Group: bddfoundation.org-Online
(Body Dysmorphic Disorder Foundation)
4 CURRENT ARTICLES
FROM PUBMED
The world-wide medical research
reports chosen for each diagnosis
Clicking each title opens the
PubMed article’s summary-abstract.
- Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale Modified for Body Dysmorphic Disorder: Factor Structure and Construct Validity of Subfactorsby Ivar Snorrason on January 27, 2025
The Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale modified for Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD-YBOCS) is a semi-structured interview designed to assess the severity of current BDD. The aim of the study was to examine the factor structure and construct validity of the BDD-YBOCS. The sample included 366 adults with BDD who completed the BDD-YBOCS and other measures of BDD severity/impairment, psychiatric distress (i.e., anxiety and depression) and quality of life. Exploratory factor analysis supported two...
- High Prevalence of Body Dysmorphic Disorder Among Rhinoplasty Candidates: Insights From a Cross-Sectional Study in Saudi Arabiaby Almoaidbellah Rammal on January 27, 2025
Background Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a psychiatric disorder characterized by excessive preoccupation with a perceived defect in one's appearance. Patients with BDD often seek cosmetic surgery to correct their perceived defect. Rhinoplasty is one of the most requested cosmetic surgeries. Our study aims to determine the prevalence of BDD among patients desiring rhinoplasty. Methods In a cross-sectional study using the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Questionnaire-Aesthetic Surgery (BDDQ-AS), we...
- Association Between Symptoms of Body Dysmorphia and Social Media Usage: A Cross-Generational Comparisonby Steven Losorelli on January 24, 2025
Background: The rise of social media parallels a mental health epidemic. The effect of social media usage on rates and severity of body dysmorphic disorder is not well-understood. Objective: To determine if an association exists between social media engagement, body dysmorphia symptoms, and/or interest in cosmetic surgery in a demographically diverse cross-section of the U.S. adult population. Methods: In a Qualtrics platform-based survey study of the general U.S. adult population, responses to...
- Response to: The Chaos in China's Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery Industry Urgently Needs to be Addressedby Riccardo De Bernardis on January 22, 2025
The proliferation of unlicensed aesthetic medical (UAE) practices in China's plastic surgery industry highlights a pressing global concern, amplified by the growing "beauty economy." Social media platforms perpetuate unattainable beauty standards through edited images and curated pre- and post-operative photos, fueling demand for aesthetic treatments and exacerbating body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). Vulnerable individuals targeted by manipulative advertising often fall victim to unsafe UAE...