title: Prevalence of body dysmorphic disorder on a psychiatric inpatient ward and the value of a screening question.
abstract: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) on an inpatient ward in the UK with a larger sample than previously studied and to investigate the value of a simple screening question during an assessment interview. Four hundred and thirty two consecutive admissions were screened for BDD on an adult psychiatric ward over a period of 13 months. Those who screened positive had a structured diagnostic interview for BDD. The prevalence of BDD was estimated to be 5.8% (C.I. 3.6-8.1%). Our screening question had a slightly low specificity (76.6%) for detecting BDD. The strength of this study was a larger sample size and narrower confidence interval than previous studies. The study adds to previous observations that BDD is poorly identified in psychiatric inpatients. BDD was identified predominantly in those presenting with depression, substance misuse or an anxiety disorder. The screening question could be improved by excluding those with weight or shape concerns. Missing the diagnosis is likely to lead to inappropriate treatment.
authors.affiliation: The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK; The Priory Hospital North London, UK. Electronic address: David.Veale@kcl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Veale
authors.affiliation: The Priory Hospital North London, UK.
authors.forename: Elvan U
authors.initials: EU
authors.lastname: Akyüz
authors.affiliation: The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, UK.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hodsoll
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D057215:Body Dysmorphic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology; D003951:Diagnostic Errors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011567:Psychiatric Department, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Body dysmorphic disorder; Inpatient ward; Prevalence; Screening