Psychological management of body dysmorphic disorder

There is increasing evidence that supports the view that body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a relatively common disorder. The researchers believe that BDD is extremely difficult to treat. Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) have received increased attention recently in treating this condition. This case report’s main aim is to provide clinical experience regarding the usefulness of CBT in two cases of BDD. Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale modified for BDD (BDD-YBOCS) was administered with both the cases, pre-intervention and post intervention and both the cases scored up to the cut off point, in pre-intervention and post intervention both cases have greater than 30% decrease in BDD-YBOCS scores. Both the cases reported significant improvement subjectively as well as objectively. Future studies will need to further develop more relevant CBT protocols that more fully integrate the patient’s perspective and challenge social cognitions about this disorder.