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Quality of life in body dysmorphic disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 September 2012

Waguih William IsHak ,
Michael A. Bolton ,
Jean-Charles Bensoussan ,
George V. Dous ,
Trang T. Nguyen ,
Allycin L. Powell-Hicks ,
Jennifer E. Gardner  and
Kimberly M. Ponton
Waguih William IsHak*
Affiliation:
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California–Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
Michael A. Bolton
Affiliation:
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Jean-Charles Bensoussan
Affiliation:
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
George V. Dous
Affiliation:
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
Trang T. Nguyen
Affiliation:
University of California–Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
Allycin L. Powell-Hicks
Affiliation:
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
Jennifer E. Gardner
Affiliation:
Keck School of Medicine at University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
Kimberly M. Ponton
Affiliation:
David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California–Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
*
*Address for correspondence: Waguih William IsHak, MD, FAPA, Director, Psychiatry Residency Training Program, and Medical Student Education in Psychiatry at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (CSMC), and Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA and CSMC, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8730 Alden Drive, Thalians W-157, Los Angeles, CA 90048. *This information is correct. (Email Waguih.Ishak@cshs.org)
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Abstract

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) has a significant impact on the patients’ quality of life (QOL). This is an initial literature review of QOL in patients with BDD, examining the extent of QOL impairments, the impact of psychiatric comorbidity on QOL, and the effect of treatment on QOL in BDD. Studies were identified through PubMed, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO searches from 1960–2011 using the keywords: “quality of life,” “body dysmorphic disorder,” “dysmorphophobia,” and “body image.” Studies included in this review were selected using specific criteria by two authors reaching consensus. Most BDD research studies have used symptom severity measures mainly to study BDD and its treatments. BBD with or without comorbidities is significantly associated with poor QOL and functioning. Studies show that treatment of BDD, either by psychopharmacological treatments such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or cognitive behavior therapy, might have positive effects on QOL, although these results need to be replicated in larger studies. In conclusion, QOL could add significant value to the assessment of BDD if used as one of the primary measures in research and clinical work in BDD, by providing more information and clearer understanding on the impact of the illness on satisfaction with activities of daily life and overall sense of wellbeing before and after treatment.

Keywords

Body dysmorphic disorderbody imagedysmorphophobiaquality of life
Type
Review Article
Information
CNS Spectrums , Volume 17 , Issue 4 , December 2012 , pp. 167 - 175
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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Footnotes

The authors would like to express their deep appreciation to Katharine Phillips, MD, for her feedback during the early development of this manuscript, and for her groundbreaking work in body dysmorphic disorder.

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