Summer 2021 Publication

causes are traumatic events from the past
(from life changing surgery to emotional
and physical abuse), low self-esteem,
others that are critical of the person’s
appearance, and not fitting in the Eurocentric
beauty standard.
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Neurocognitive Function
There has been little research on the
neurocognitive functions of people
diagnosed with BDD. Concerning visual
memory, there have been studies that
conclude that people with BDD may have
visual memory deficiencies. In one study
of cognitive functioning, subjects were
asked to copy and recall a complicated
figure drawing. The BDD group recalled
more specific parts of the drawing
instead of the overall structure which
makes sense because BDD patients focus
on a specific part of their body. In
addition, there has been research about
organization and planning for people with
BDD, and a study by “K.R. Hanes found
that BDD subjects made more errors on a
search task, demonstrating deficits in
working memory, compared to healthy
controls. They also were slower on a task
measuring planning ability.”⁵ ⁶ A study
by Ulrike Buhlmann et al., found that
people with BDD were more likely than
healthy subjects to mistake neutral faces
as angry.⁷ This means that patients with
BDD have a harder time processing
emotions than healthier subjects. Lastly,
another study from Ulrike Buhlmann et
al. found that patients with BDD had
“more delayed responses to words such
as attractive and beauty compared to
more neutral words.”⁸
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Heritability
Heritability is by far one of the most
limited studies concerning BDD, but
researchers found that “8% of individuals
with BDD have a family member also
diagnosed with BDD, a statistic 4–8
Visual Processing
times the
prevalence in
the general
population.”⁹
Additionally,
there is a
connection
with OCD
that comes
from family
studies. In
one study by
Phillips et
al., “7% of
BDD patients had a first-degree relative
with OCD.”¹⁰ Therefore, OCD and BDD
may be correlated and BDD itself may be
heritable.
Researchers studied the ways patients
with BDD distinguished their own faces
compared to others’ faces. One study by
Jose A Yaryura-Tobias et al. showed that
BDD patients perceived distortions of
their own faces which were not really
there.¹¹ In another study by Ulrich
Stangier et al., BDD participants were
more accurate than healthy subjects in
detecting changes in beauty features of
others’ faces.¹² The studies showed that
people with BDD have a superior ability
to process details after it was found that
those with BDD were faster than healthy
controls at identifying others’ faces that
were upside down. These studies suggest
that BDD individuals have a greater
sensitivity to detecting details, which
may lead them to notice defects that are
unnoticeable to others.¹³
Treatment
Currently, there is no way to prevent
body dysmorphic disorder, but since the
mental illness begins in adolescence
years, it may be easier to detect the issue
and begin treatment early.¹⁴ Some
treatments include psychotherapy which
is individual counseling that focuses on
changing a person’s cognitive thinking
and behavior. There is also exposure and
response prevention which uses thoughts
and real-life situations to prove to the
patients that their view of themselves is
not accurate. Medication can also be used
as antidepressants. For example,
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
(SSRIs) may help treat body dysmorphic
disorder as it increases serotonin (a
hormone that controls overall well-being
and happiness) in the brain. Lastly, there
is group or family therapy which allows
family members to learn to understand
body dysmorphic disorder and recognize
the signs and symptoms of the BDD
patient.¹⁵
Conclusion
Overall, body dysmorphic disorder is an
illness with harmful effects if undetected
or left untreated. Due to limited
information known, it is very difficult to
receive help and diagnose people with
BDD. However, people should be aware of
BDD and empathize with people with this
illness and be cognizant of their
symptoms. More resources should be
funneled to researching BDD so help can
be provided for those who suffer from
BDD.
Chainwit, Wikimedia Commons
References
[1] "Obsession." International
Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences,