title: A comparison study of body dysmorphic disorder versus social phobia.
abstract: Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) shares many characteristics with social phobia (SP), including high levels of social anxiety and avoidance, but to our knowledge no studies have directly compared these disorders' demographic and clinical features. Demographic and clinical features were compared in individuals with BDD (n=172), SP (n=644), and comorbid BDD/SP (n=125). SP participants had a significantly earlier age of onset and lower educational attainment than BDD participants. BDD participants were significantly less likely to ever be married than SP participants, had a greater likelihood of ever being psychiatrically hospitalized, and had significantly lower mean GAF scores than SP participants. The two groups had different comorbidity patterns, which included a greater likelihood for BDD participants to have comorbid obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or an eating disorder, vs. a greater likelihood for SP participants to have a comorbid non-OCD anxiety disorder. The comorbid BDD/SP group had significantly greater morbidity across several domains than the SP only group, but not the BDD only group. In summary, although BDD and SP were similar across many demographic and clinical features, they had important differences. Future studies are needed to confirm these findings and address similarities and differences between these disorders across a broader range of variables.
authors.affiliation: Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA. Megan.Kelly@umassmed.edu
authors.forename: Megan M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: Kristy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dalrymple
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zimmerman
authors.forename: Katharine A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Phillips
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D057215:Body Dysmorphic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D004522:Educational Status; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult