BMJ 2001;323:1015-1016 ( 3 November )

Editorials

Body dysmorphic disorder in men

Psychiatric treatments are usually effective

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Body image isn't just a women's problem. Many studies reveal that a surprisingly high proportion of men are dissatisfied with, preoccupied with, and even impaired by concerns about their appearance.1 One American study, for example, found that the percentage of men dissatisfied with their overall appearance (43%) has nearly tripled in the past 25 years and that nearly as many men as women are unhappy with how they look.1

A more severe form of body image disturbance---body dysmorphic disorder or dysmorphophobia---is an underrecognised yet relatively common and severe psychiatric disorder.2 Body dysmorphic disorder affects as many men as women 3 4 and consists of a preoccupation with an imagined or slight defect in appearance that causes clinically significant distress or impairment in functioning. Patients with body dysmorphic disorder often present to non-psychiatric physicians, with reported rates of 12% in dermatology settings and 7-15% in cosmetic surgery settings.5 Although the symptoms of . . . [Full text of this article]


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This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Lucas, P. (2002). Violence may be serious in men with body dysmorphic disorder. BMJ 324: 678-678 [Full text]  

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Body dismorphic disorder and violence
Philip Lucas
bmj.com, 6 Nov 2001 [Full text]
self-citation
David Baker
bmj.com, 5 Nov 2001 [Full text]
body dysmorphia
Lisa Carter
bmj.com, 6 Nov 2001 [Full text]
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Katharine A. Phillips, et al.
bmj.com, 24 Feb 2002 [Full text]
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Re: body dysmorphia
David M Veale
bmj.com, 29 Apr 2002 [Full text]
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bmj.com, 2 May 2002 [Full text]
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bmj.com, 7 Aug 2002 [Full text]



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