Prevalence, demographic and clinical characteristics of body dysmorphic disorder among psychiatric outpatients with mood, anxiety or somatoform disorders.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the prevalence, demographic and clinical characteristics of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) compared with other psychiatric outpatients with a mood, anxiety or somatoform disorder.


METHODS
Outpatients referred for treatment of a mood, anxiety or somatoform disorder were routinely assessed at intake. A structured interview (MINI-Plus), observer-based and self-rating instruments were administered by an independent assessor.


RESULTS
Among our sample of 3798 referred patients, 2947 patients were diagnosed with at least one DSM-IV mood, anxiety or somatoform disorder. Of these patients 1.8% (n = 54) met the diagnostic criteria for BDD. In comparison with other outpatients, patients with BDD were on average younger, less often married and were more often living alone. Highly prevalent comorbid diagnoses were major depression (in 46.3% of cases), social anxiety disorder (in 35.2% of cases) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) (in 16.7% of cases). Furthermore, patients with BDD had higher scores on the Clinical Global Impression of Severity (CGI-S) as well as lower scores on the Short Form 36 social role functioning.


CONCLUSIONS
BDD is frequently associated with depression, social phobia and OCD. Patients with BDD have more distress and more impaired interpersonal functioning.
Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Job
J
van der Meer
Yanda R
YR
van Rood
Nic J
NJ
van der Wee
Margien
M
den Hollander-Gijsman
Martijn S
MS
van Noorden
Erik J
EJ
Giltay
Frans G
FG
Zitman
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D057215:Body Dysmorphic Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003710:Demography; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D010045:Outpatients; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult