Am J Psychiatry 1977; 134:673-676
Copyright © 1977 by American Psychiatric Association
Dysmorphophobia: symptom or disease?
NC Andreasen and J Bardach
Although dysmorphophobia, a subjective feeling of ugliness in a person of
normal appearance, constitutes a distinctive symptom cluster occasionally
seen in patients requesting cosmetic surgery, it is not included in current
major psychiatric diagnostic systems. Patients with dysmorphophobia are
usually young and perfectionistic and have both schizoid and narcissistic
traits. The authors present two representative case histories and suggest
that study of more patients with dysmorphophobia is needed to determine
whether it is a symptom of an underlying disease or is itself a separate
disease entity.
