Berta J Summers1, George Aalbers2, Payton J Jones3, Richard J McNally3, Katharine A Phillips4, Sabine Wilhelm5. 1. Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, United States. Electronic address: bsummers@mgh.harvard.edu. 2. University of Amsterdam, Netherlands. 3. Harvard University, United States. 4. New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical College, United States. 5. Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, United States.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a highly debilitating mental disorder associated with notable psychosocial impairment and high rates of suicidality. This study investigated BDD from a network perspective, which conceptualizes mental disorders as systems of symptoms that cause and exacerbate one another (e.g., preoccupation with perceived appearance defect triggering compulsive checking in the mirror). METHODS: In a sample of BDD patients (N = 148), we used cross-sectional network models to explore the network structure of 1) BDD symptoms and 2) BDD symptoms and major depressive disorder (MDD) symptoms, and tested which symptoms were most central (i.e., most strongly associated to other symptoms). RESULTS: Interference in functioning due to appearance-related compulsions (BDD), feelings of worthlessness (MDD), and loss of pleasure (MDD) were most central. CONCLUSION: These symptoms were most strongly predictive of other BDD and MDD symptoms and may be features of BDD that warrant prioritization in theory development and treatment. A limitation of our study is that the precision of these findings may be limited due to a small sample size relative to the number of parameters. Replication studies in larger samples of BDD patients are needed.
BACKGROUND:Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a highly debilitating mental disorder associated with notable psychosocial impairment and high rates of suicidality. This study investigated BDD from a network perspective, which conceptualizes mental disorders as systems of symptoms that cause and exacerbate one another (e.g., preoccupation with perceived appearance defect triggering compulsive checking in the mirror). METHODS: In a sample of BDD patients (N = 148), we used cross-sectional network models to explore the network structure of 1) BDD symptoms and 2) BDD symptoms and major depressive disorder (MDD) symptoms, and tested which symptoms were most central (i.e., most strongly associated to other symptoms). RESULTS: Interference in functioning due to appearance-related compulsions (BDD), feelings of worthlessness (MDD), and loss of pleasure (MDD) were most central. CONCLUSION: These symptoms were most strongly predictive of other BDD and MDD symptoms and may be features of BDD that warrant prioritization in theory development and treatment. A limitation of our study is that the precision of these findings may be limited due to a small sample size relative to the number of parameters. Replication studies in larger samples of BDD patients are needed.
Authors: Katharine A Phillips; Meredith E Coles; William Menard; Shirley Yen; Christina Fay; Risa B Weisberg Journal: J Clin Psychiatry Date: 2005-06 Impact factor: 4.384
Authors: Katharine A Phillips; Aparna Keshaviah; Darin D Dougherty; Robert L Stout; William Menard; Sabine Wilhelm Journal: Am J Psychiatry Date: 2016-04-08 Impact factor: 18.112
Authors: Georgina Krebs; Lorena Fernández de la Cruz; Frühling V Rijsdijk; Daniel Rautio; Jesper Enander; Christian Rück; Paul Lichtenstein; Sebastian Lundström; Henrik Larsson; Thalia C Eley; David Mataix-Cols Journal: Psychol Med Date: 2020-09-17 Impact factor: 10.592