OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the prevalence and phenomenology of
body dysmorphic disorder in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
METHOD: The authors studied 442 patients who participated in the DSM-IV
field trial for obsessive-compulsive disorder. RESULTS: Twelve percent (N =
51) of the patients had a lifetime comorbid diagnosis of body dysmorphic
disorder. Patients with and without body dysmorphic disorder did not differ
in demographic characteristics of obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Patients
with obsessive-compulsive disorder and body dysmorphic disorder had more
anxious, impulsive, and schizotypal features than patients with
obsessive-compulsive disorder alone. Age at onset was similar for the two
disorders, and severity correlated. However, insight was significantly more
impaired for body dysmorphic disorder than for obsessive-compulsive
disorder. CONCLUSIONS: As previously thought, these findings suggest that
the two disorders are strongly related but also have differences that
require further investigation.
Abstract Teaser