A screening questionnaire for body dysmorphic disorder in a cosmetic dermatologic surgery practice.
BACKGROUND
Dermatologic surgeons frequently see patients with body dysmorphic disorder, a distressing or impairing preoccupation with a nonexistent or slight defect in appearance. Recognition of this disorder is essential to avoid unnecessary and generally unsatisfying surgical outcomes, but no screening tools are available for use in a dermatology setting.


OBJECTIVE
To develop and validate a brief self-report questionnaire to screen for body dysmorphic disorder in dermatology settings.


METHODS
A questionnaire was developed and its sensitivity and specificity determined in 46 subjects, using a reliable clinician-administered diagnostic interview for body dysmorphic disorder. The interrater reliability of a defect severity scale was also determined (n = 50).


RESULTS
The self-report questionnaire had a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 93%. The interrater reliability (ICC) of the defect rating scale was.88.


CONCLUSIONS
This brief questionnaire was a highly effective screening tool for body dysmorphic disorder in a cosmetic dermatology setting. Use of this questionnaire may help identify patients with this syndrome.
Dufresne
R G
RG
Department of Dermatology and Butler Hospital and Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University School of Medicine, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
Phillips
K A
KA
Vittorio
C C
CC
Wilkel
C S
CS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003880:Dermatology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011300:Preoperative Care; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013518:Surgery, Plastic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires