Epidemiology of body dysmorphic disorder among adolescents: A study of their cognitive functions

Background: Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is characterized by a preoccupation with an imagined defect in one's appearance. In case of a slight physical anomaly, the person would experience an excessive concern. This disorder causes cognitive dysfunction.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine epidemiology of body dysmorphic disorder among students at secondary schools of the first and second stage in Shiraz, Iran. It also compares executive functions in students with BDD to healthy students.

Methods: The Body Dysmorphic Disorder Questionnaire (BDDQ), Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT),Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Tower of London test (ToL), and Trail Making Test (TMT) were measured in participants with BDD (N = 52; M_age = 16.20; SD = 1.03) and healthy control group (N = 52; M_age = 15.91; SD = 0.96).

Results: The frequency of BDD was significantly higher in women than men (14.8% vs. 6.8%), and its prevalence was 10.4% in total. There was a significant difference between the two groups of students concerning attentional set-shifting, inhibition of cognitive interference, visual-spatial searching, and sequencing, but not problem-solving tasks.

Conclusions: Students with BDD have cognitive deficits, which need to be addressed in cognitive rehabilitation.