ABSTRACT
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), a preoccupation with a nonexistent or slight defect in appearance, usually begins during adolescence. Despite receiving increasing clinical and research attention, this disorder remains virtually unstudied in children and adolescents. A growing body of evidence indicates that BDD in adults is characterized by painful and time-consuming obsessions about the perceived appearance defect as well as compulsive, time-consuming behaviors such as mirror checking, excessive grooming, and skin picking. Insight is generally poor, and a significant percentage of patients are delusional. BDD usually causes considerable morbidity, such as social, educational, and occupational impairment, being housebound, psychiatric hospitalization, suicide attempts, and completed suicide. Information on treatment history (psychiatric and nonpsychiatric treatments, such as surgical and dermatological treatment) was obtained from subjects and parents with the previously described BDD Data Form, and treatment response was assessed with the Clinical Global Improvement Scale.
