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Risk Factors
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Certain factors seem to increase the risk
of developing or triggering body dysmorphic disorder, including:
Having blood relatives with body dysmorphic
disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder
Negative life experiences, such as
childhood teasing and trauma
Certain personality traits, such as
perfectionism
Societal pressure or expectations of beauty
Having another psychiatric disorder, such
as anxiety or depression
Diagnosis
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You should visit your doctor if you think
you may have BDD. Initially, they will probably ask a number of questions about
your symptoms and how they affect you, such as:
Do you worry a lot about the way you look
and wish you could think about it less?
What specific concerns do you have about
your appearance?
On a typical day, how many hours is your
appearance on your mind?
What effect does it have on your life?
Does it make it hard to do your work or be
with friends?
If your GP suspects BDD, they can refer you
to a mental health specialist for further assessment and any appropriate
treatment.
Diagnosis of body dysmorphic disorder is
typically based on:
A psychological evaluation that assesses
risk factors and thoughts, feelings, and behaviors related to negative
self-image
Personal, social, family and medical
history
Symptoms listed in the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), published by the American
Psychiatric Association.
Treatment
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With treatment, many people with BDD will
experience an improvement in their symptoms. Treatment for body dysmorphic
disorder often includes a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy and
medications.
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy for body
dysmorphic disorder focuses on:
Helping you learn how negative thoughts,
emotional reactions and behaviors maintain problems over time
Challenging automatic negative thoughts
about your body image and learning a more flexible and realistic way of
thinking
Learning alternate ways to handle urges or
rituals to help reduce mirror checking or reassurance seeking
Teaching you other behaviors to improve
your mental health
You and your therapist can talk about your
goals for therapy and develop a personalized treatment plan to learn and
strengthen coping skills.
Medications
Although there are no medications
specifically approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat body
dysmorphic disorder, medications used to treat other mental disorders, such as
depression, can be effective.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
(SSRIs). Because body dysmorphic disorder is thought to be caused in part by
problems related to the brain chemical serotonin, SSRIs may be prescribed.
SSRIs appear to be more effective for body dysmorphic disorder than other
antidepressants and may help control your obsessions and repetitive behaviors.
Other medications. In some cases, you may
benefit from taking other medications in addition to an SSRI, depending on your
symptoms.
Hospitalization
In some cases, your body dysmorphic
disorder symptoms may be so severe that you require psychiatric
hospitalization. This is generally recommended only when you aren't able to
keep up with day-to-day responsibilities or when you're in immediate danger of
harming yourself.
