Clinical and subclinical body dysmorphic disorder

Background The aim of the study was to define the main demographic and clinical characteristics of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and subclinical BDD (sBDD) in a sample derived by a screening survey done on a population of individuals referring to aesthetical medicine centers. Method 487 subjects referring to hospital centers for aesthetical medicine were administered the SCID-I and the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale adapted for BDD (BDD-YBOCS). The sample was thus sub-divided in three sub-samples: 1) BDD, 2) sub-clinical BDD, and 3) controls. The main demographic and clinical variables were considered and compared between the BDD and the sBDD samples. Results As previously reported, the prevalence of BDD and sBDD was 6.3 % and 18.4 %, respectively. The most frequent comorbid diagnosis in both BDD and sBDD patients and their relatives was Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). A higher severity of symptoms was found in male BDD patients, while no gender-related differences were found in the sBDD group. Suicidal ideation was found in 12.1 % of the sBDD and in 49.7 % of the BDD patients. Conclusions These results support the hypothesis of BDD and sBDD belonging to the OCD spectrum, and appear to advise long-term follow-up studies on the course and the prognosis of sBDD.

Authors and Affiliations

1. Chair of Psychiatry, University of Milan, Istituto di Scienze Biomediche, Ospedale “Luigi Sacco”, Via G. B. Grassi 74, 20157 Milano, Italy, Phone: +39-02-39 04 29 48, Fax: +39-02-39 04 25 10, E-Mail: altamura@ospedalesacco.lom.it, , , , , , IT

   Carlo Altamura, Michela Minio Paluello & Piero Mannu

2. Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto (ON), Canada, , , , , , CA

   Emanuela Mundo

3. Istituto di Clinica Psichiatrica, University of Cagliari School of Medicine, Cagliari, Italy, , , , , , IT

   Stefania Medda

Received: 5. December 2000 / Accepted: 21. March 2001

Reprints and permissions