Talk:Body dysmorphic disorder

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment
This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 19 January 2021 and 25 April 2021. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Csanherz. Peer reviewers: Jaylaa20, Pgunter99, Bedrum00, Eternalruler, Lridley097, Chalktalk1, Will590.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 18:12, 17 January 2022 (UTC)

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment
This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 28 August 2019 and 6 December 2019. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Vsol98. Peer reviewers: Emilygdeng, Dnbell, Deja93.

Above undated message substituted from Template:Dashboard.wikiedu.org assignment by PrimeBOT (talk) 16:02, 16 January 2022 (UTC)

Would it be of interest to add a link to Koro somewhere?
Just a quick description of Koro from its Wiki: Koro is a culture-bound syndrome delusional disorder in which an individual has an overpowering belief that their sex organs are retracting and will disappear, despite the lack of any true longstanding changes to the genitals.[1][2] Koro is also known as shrinking penis, and it is listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Maybe it would be informative from the point of view of highlighting cultural manifestations of BOD or in the related articles section? WikiLearnedMeGood (Talk) 18:02, 27 February 2021 (UTC)

Please edit "Grants suck" from the opening of BDD definition
On Wikipedia's page for Body Dysmorphic Disorder - the article begins with two words : Grants suck. I have tried to edit this out but cannot seem to. 173.9.90.81 (talk) 18:42, 18 September 2013 (UTC)
 * ✅ (not by me though)  Lova Falk     talk   14:55, 3 October 2013 (UTC)

Multiple issues
Please review Wikipedia's medical sourcing guidelines for the types of sources that should be used here. Wikipedia Signpost/2008-06-30/Dispatches gives more information about the application of MEDRS, and the recommended sections are listed at WP:MEDMOS. Please update for DSM5 and replace the text cited to primary sources with secondary reviews. There is (was) an overreliance on one book. Sandy Georgia (Talk) 21:12, 15 November 2013 (UTC)

Broadness of definition
Can someone tell me how not every single teenage girl has body dysmorphic disorder, when defined in this manner? i.e. excessive concern about perceived defects. I really think everybody concerns more about their physical appearance, than others even care to notice. 129.180.136.193 (talk) 12:07, 21 May 2014 (UTC)

"while one's thoughts about it are pervasive and intrusive (at least one hour per day), although the perceived flaw might be nonexistent" Many girls are actually well adjusted. I don't think further explanation is necessary. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.184.149.46 (talk) 22:48, 23 October 2014 (UTC)

Merge discussion
Propose that Muscle dysmorphia be merged into this article. Lightbreather (talk) 17:08, 18 February 2015 (UTC)


 * Why? It's a full article in its own right and there is plenty of additional research out there that could be added to lengthen that article. --EncycloPetey (talk) 01:49, 19 February 2015 (UTC)
 * As I find the "Muscle dysmorphia" article today, it is mostly meandering bloat and could be reduced to two brief paragraphs. Nor is the task of an encyclopedia to compile research in order to lengthen an article. Occurring (talk) 20:41, 12 July 2015 (UTC)


 * Psychiatric literature expressly categorizes muscle dysmorphia as a variant of body dysmorphic disorder, a categorization so standard that I think it useless to even cite it here. Although muscle dysmorphia could warrant its own article if the topic calls for lengthy examination unto itself, there is no particular reason that it requires its own article a priori.  I myself believe that muscle dysmorphia, which is all but exclusive to males and is sometimes called "bigorexia", is better understood as merely related to body dysmorphic disorder, which is about equally common among males and females.  Yet I also think that muscle dysmorphia ought to be termed miniaturizing dysmorhpia, perhaps, since it often less invokes muscle size than perception of the whole body or a part of it as too small, a concern often via bone size or bodily proportions, not the obsessive quest via disordered eating and exercise for bigger and bigger muscles as typifies "bigorexia".  But so far, although the literature on muscle dysmorphia, so called, crudely stereotypes it as "bigorexia", it is defined—more accurately than that stereotype—in the DSM as a variant of body dysmorphic disorder. Occurring (talk) 17:51, 12 July 2015 (UTC)


 * I agree that these two articles should be merged into one. Presently, muscle dysmorphia certainly doesn't constitute an article in it's own right; especially considering the largest section of the article is mostly uncited. As I'm quite new to Wikipedia, could someone explain to me how these merge decisions are made and what approach is taken to merge/unmerge articles? Autumnstorm19 (talk) 07:20, 28 September 2015 (UTC)

Completley different problems it would be ignorant to merge these. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.81.235.65 (talk) 19:15, 15 October 2015 (UTC)
 * Oppose. Muscle dysmorphia is clearly a type of body dysmorphia, in the same way that salmon is a type of fish. It is not because one is a type of the other that there should only be one article. Here we have two articles that need work but are substantially different and long enough in their own rights. They should be cross-linked, as indeed they already are. FunkyCanute (talk) 15:50, 23 November 2015 (UTC)
 * I, for one, certainly did not argue for merger merely since one is a subtype of the other. I declared that in order to declare that two, separate articles not needed a priori.  That is, only specific considerations, such as an extensive scope of the subtype, warrant an article unto itself for the subtype.  But I said that the article on the subtype muscle dysmorphia is "mostly meandering bloat and could be reduced to two brief paragraphs".  Do you think that that is false?  As it happens, the expert literature on muscle dysmorphia is rather scant.  I now plan to trim the redundant bloat from the article on muscle dysmorphia.  That way, we can see whether it still merits a whole article unto itself. — Occurring (talk) 23:26, 21 December 2015 (UTC)


 * Oppose. It's been nearly a year, and I've yet to hear a reason in favor of merging that makes sense to me. The BDD article itself says "BDD is compulsion to merely normalize the appearance," and "Attempts at self-treatment can paradoxically create lesions where none previously existed," both of which are statements that make little sense when discussing muscle dysmorphia. Yes, it's classified as a subtype, and I understand that, but the BDD article is far too generalized to accommodate a section properly covering this or any other subtype of BDD. General articles, like the BDD article tend to stay general, and any specific subtopic is either ironed out to the point of oblivion, or separated out as a new article. If you are having trouble finding resources to expand the muscle dysmorphia article, I can probably point two at least one or two published books with references for as a starting point. You could also look at some of the many version of this article on other Wikipedias. --EncycloPetey (talk) 03:11, 23 December 2015 (UTC)


 * Oppose. If the cited sources are correct, muscle dysmorphia is a condition distinct from other forms of BDD both in its most-commonly-affected population and in its symptoms: see "Yet the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Foundation has estimated that one in ten gym-going men manifest the disorder," and "Versus nonmuscle versions of body dysmorphic disorder, rates of suicide attempts are especially high." If the symptoms and populations of two conditions are distinct, then any article(s) in question must hold relevant content for both intended audiences; seems to me, the status quo of two articles serves best here, with the more general referencing the more specific. 96.47.120.119 (talk) 07:33, 16 January 2016 (UTC)

... Sooooo, can we pretty much say this merge is not happening? I haven't seen discussion on this in over a year, and it seems that there's a leaning towards a not-merging consensus. I bring this up because the article still has a message box about a potential merge, which doesn't seem necessary due to the lack of progress here. Thus, I'm removing the box on the front, but if there's still a need for it there, someone can put it back lol. JaykeBird (talk) 07:04, 25 May 2017 (UTC)

therapy "improving connections between the orbitofrontal cortex and the amygdala"?
Neuroimaging[19] suggest weaker connection between the amygdala (involved in basic emotions) and the orbitofrontal cortex (involved in regulation of emotional arousal).[20] Cognitive-behavioral therapy may improve connections between the orbitofrontal cortex and the amygdala.[20]

I've added a "failed verification" template message to the last sentence, but am wondering whether the statement should be deleted. Given that the differences were seen in diffusion MRI, not fMRI, and are therefore not (only) functional, but physical, is there any reason to think that CBT or any other therapy can have such an effect? Ssscienccce (talk) 12:52, 24 September 2015 (UTC)


 * I've found one fMRI study that presents amygdala-prefrontal connectivity as being predictive of symptom improvement following CBT [Heide Klumpp, Michael K Keutmann, Daniel A Fitzgerald, Stewart A Shankman, K Luan Phan, "Resting state amygdala-prefrontal connectivity predicts symptom change after cognitive behavioral therapy in generalized social anxiety disorder", Biology of Mood & Anxiety Disorders, 2014;4(1):14]. It's just one primary source study that doesn't specifically mention the orbitofrontal cortex though, so insufficient as a reference for such a statement.Autumnstorm19 (talk) 12:14, 26 September 2015 (UTC)


 * Interesting. Too bad they didn't do DTI (diffusion MRI) as well, to see if there was a correlation between the rs-fMRI results and the white matter connectivity. It would be further evidence that at least in some patients BDD has a neurological cause. Doesn't seem to support the contested statement though.  Ssscienccce  (talk) 01:52, 27 September 2015 (UTC)


 * Agreed. As the research section only contains one sentence it's probably better to remove the whole section, or put some energy into finding some sources presenting the state of the field beyond 2011 and make it more comprehensive. 20:11, 27 September 2015 (UTC)Autumnstorm19 (talk)

Ugly people are oppressed
This "body dysmorphia" seems like proof of our dismissiveness to the truth about attractiveness and the countless studies on the social effects of being ugly. Family, teachers, classmates, employers, collegues, friends, mates, police officers, judges--most people either consciously or subconsciously (or both) treat people according to their appearance, to various degrees. Some avoid, aren't as friendly or generous to, ignore, stereotype as introverted, unkind, unconfident, self-conscious, anxious, etc (gee, I wonder why) or are even harsh to ugly people. We live in a blatantly looks-obsessed world. Yet, ugly people who know the great value of attractiveness and can identify their oppressors and recognize most instances where they might have been maltreated because of their looks are "body dysmorphic" if they can accept their oppression and consequentially avoid or adapt? The delusional variety is definitely a disorder, but I don't think the importance of looks can be exaggerated as it is incredibly prized in our societies. We can't just self-reflect and accept just how unethical it is because we don't want to feel ashamed of ourselves. It's so much easier to put blame on exaggeration from the oppressed rather than take responsibility. Even obsessive, recurring thoughts seems like only a natural response to daily oppression based on something as helpless as looks. Any treatment would help keep them healthy and distract or trick body dysmorphics into believing looks aren't all that important, but let's not ignore our part in their suffering. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2607:FB90:1F02:4DD5:0:47:B5B2:6F01 (talk) 07:04, 2 September 2016 (UTC)
 * Body dysmorphic disorder is not about individuals whose appearance is indeed remarkably ugly. — Occurring (talk) 18:09, 10 January 2018 (UTC)
 * As scientists, at least, "ugly" people might more respected [Gheorghiu et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2017;114(23):5970–5]. — Occurring (talk) 12:55, 18 January 2018 (UTC)

Article is target of vandalism
This article appears to be the target of edit vandalism. I've already removed at least one instance where someone inserted the words "fake medical disorder" into the lede text. I'm not an advanced enough user to know what more to do, aside from draw attention to it and suggest that this article be monitored for further malicious edits or vandalism. Lock maybe? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2606:A000:AFC0:8300:C44B:EA22:D92:82CF (talk) 20:26, 14 June 2017 (UTC)
 * I think that it is inevitable that mental health pages be the target of vandalism since the science of Psychology is debatable at times. Hopefully the resources in place to prevent those wanting to cause problems will be revoked of their editing abilities.Bradsbri02 (talk) 08:06, 13 September 2020 (UTC)

3 December 2017 edits
On December 3, two particular changes were made to the article: the § "History" was moved from first to last, and the § "Causal factors" was renamed "Cause" [diff]. There are two problems with these changes, which appeared earlier and which I had reversed in October and November. My October edit note as to the § "History" explained my restoration of that section to the top [diff].

Again, as this is a general encyclopedia, not a medical manual, it is improper for the body to abruptly open with the § "Signs and symptoms" offering a clinical description, instead of the § "History" succinctly situating the topic in a general human context via backstory. In a general encyclopedia, the § "History" is not a footnote to medical information. If anything, the article is flawed merely in that the lead lacks summary of the body's information on history—as well as on causation and treatment.

As to the present § "Cause", the wording issue is not trivial. The word cause, being singular, is fraught with a popular misconception—the philosophical error that true insight will find the cause—whereas, in reality, there are always multiple causal factors interacting [Rothman KJ & Greenland S, "Causation and causal inference in epidemiology", Am J Public Health, 2005;95(Suppl 1):S144–50]. If, for whatever reason, the term causal factors is disfavored, then the proper singular term is causation. — Occurring (talk) 01:05, 4 December 2017 (UTC)

Penile body dysmorphic disorder
We should mention the penile version of BDD here. Urologists report that a substantial majority of men who report that seek treatment for what they perceive as a an exceptionally small penis actually have a penis size in the normal size range or larger; there is research which has examined this as a form of BDD. Source: a Google search for "penile BDD" finds numerous medical journal articles.-- The Anome (talk) 19:02, 28 December 2017 (UTC)
 * It is reasonable to add to § "Signs and symptoms" that the genitals or penis is a common preoccupation. — Occurring (talk) 06:20, 8 January 2018 (UTC)

Possible new resources
Bowyer, L., Krebs, G., Mataix-Cols, D., Veale, D., & Monzani, B. (2016). A critical review of cosmetic treatment outcomes in body dysmorphic disorder. Body Image, 19, 1-8. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy3.lhl.uab.edu/10.1016/j.bodyim.2016.07.001

Buhlmann, U., Reese, H. E., Renaud, S., & Wilhelm, S. (2008). Clinical considerations for the treatment of body dysmorphic disorder with cognitive-behavioral therapy. Body Image, 5(1), 39-49. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy3.lhl.uab.edu/10.1016/j.bodyim.2007.12.002

Carroll, D. H., Scahill, L., & Phillips, K. A. (2002). Current concepts in body dysmorphic disorder. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 16(2), 72-79. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy3.lhl.uab.edu/10.1053/apnu.2002.32109

Fang, A., & Hofmann, S. G. (2010). Relationship between social anxiety disorder and body dysmorphic disorder. Clinical Psychology Review, 30(8), 1040-1048. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy3.lhl.uab.edu/10.1016/j.cpr.2010.08.001

Fang, A., Matheny, N. L., & Wilhelm, S. (2014). Body dysmorphic disorder. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 37(3), 287-300. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy3.lhl.uab.edu/10.1016/j.psc.2014.05.003

Hartmann, A. S., Greenberg, J. L., & Wilhelm, S. (2013). The relationship between anorexia nervosa and body dysmorphic disorder. Clinical Psychology Review, 33(5), 675-685. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy3.lhl.uab.edu/10.1016/j.cpr.2013.04.002

Kaplan, R. A., Rossell, S. L., Enticott, P. G., & Castle, D. J. (2013). Own-body perception in body dysmorphic disorder. Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, 18(6), 594-614. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy3.lhl.uab.edu/10.1080/13546805.2012.758878

Neziroglu, F. A., Anderson, M. C., & Yaryura-Tobias, J. (1999). An in-depth review of obsessive-compulsive disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, hypochondriasis, and trichotillomania: Therapeutic issues and current research. Crisis Intervention & Time-Limited Treatment, 5(1-2), 59-94. Retrieved from https://login.ezproxy3.lhl.uab.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy3.lhl.uab.edu/scholarly-journals/depth-review-obsessive-compulsive-disorder-body/docview/619389133/se-2?accountid=8240

Neziroglu, F., & Khemlani-Patel, S. (2003). Therapeutic approaches to body dysmorphic disorder. Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention, 3(3), 307-322. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy3.lhl.uab.edu/10.1093/brief-treatment/mhg023 Csanherz (talk) 02:51, 7 February 2021 (UTC)

Is this a false edit?
At the end of 'Signs and symptoms': "The distress of BDD tends to exceed that of either major depressive disorder or type-2 diabetes, and rates of suicidal ideation and attempts are especially high."

'type-2 diabetes' doesn't look right there. 122.57.56.26 (talk) 22:37, 29 January 2022 (UTC)


 * You can verify the source yourself. I went through it real quick and saw it just mentioned "diabetes", not type-2 diabetes. I adjusted the text accordingly.--Megaman en m (talk) 10:42, 30 January 2022 (UTC)

Engage
Can someone engage with my points please. Jesus Christ. 2A00:23C6:1E82:8601:1DD9:7ED6:20C8:4120 (talk) 19:48, 27 April 2022 (UTC)


 * These points? You said "you deflected from my criticism which is valid and not addressed by the article" but your personal criticism is not something Wikipedia will note. We (i.e., Wikipedia editors) do not add editors' comments or views (WP:NPOV), we only write based on what reliable sources say about a topic. You wouldn't expect Britannica to have comments in an entry about BDD as to why the writer thinks it's bunk or amazing, right?
 * And your comments were removed because Wikipedia is not a forum to discuss/critique/analyze topics. I recommend Reddit for that.  Eve rgr een Fir  (talk) 14:23, 28 April 2022 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: CMN2160B
— Assignment last updated by Xinyue Hu (talk) 13:28, 23 December 2022 (UTC)

BDDBP
This article does not feature any reference to Body Dysmorphic Disorder by Proxy, a noted subtype of BDD. 2601:140:8F00:D20:88F0:7497:3001:495 (talk) 04:01, 29 December 2022 (UTC)

I think body dysmorphia is more of a umbrella term for people finding their bodies ugly but I am going to try to find a source for that other than self help 173.66.183.243 (talk) 14:08, 30 June 2023 (UTC)

Males are affected just as much by social media as females (along with everyone in-between)
A quote from the article under the section Cause/Social Media:

“Specifically, females' mental health has been the most affected by persistent exposure to social media.”

this is ignorant, at best, and is offered without a citation, or any evidence or argument whatsoever. 2601:647:6680:6530:A927:76FF:68D:3847 (talk) 21:24, 30 July 2023 (UTC)
 * It appears that sentence is a transition to the next sentence about impact on women, which is supported by this citation. -- Zim Zala Bim talk 21:29, 30 July 2023 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: University Writing 1020 Communicating Feminism MW 1 pm
— Assignment last updated by Meimulee (talk) 21:59, 12 September 2023 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: English 216
— Assignment last updated by ProfHanley (talk) 17:06, 20 October 2023 (UTC)

Body Dysmorphia Notable Cases
I would like to add a section on some notable cases of people who have experienced body dysmorphia. Vgs0208 (talk) 18:55, 3 October 2023 (UTC)

Mental Bandwidth
"Mental Bandwidth" is a silly modernist expression. Although most will correctly understand this to approximate "mental capacity," it is still best to remove silly expressions from Wikipedia. Also consider that it appears in the lead paragraph. Google Ngram shows that "mental bandwidth" is used far less commonly used (0.00000100%) than "mental capacity". I must however acknowledge an rising trend in its use between 2015-2019.Evangelos Giakoumatos (talk) 17:46, 30 December 2023 (UTC)

Request for feedback - March 17 2024
I recently published a Wikipedia article on Snapchat dysmorphia and noticed this concept was mentioned within this article under the "Social Media" section, so I have linked the new article! I would appreciate any feedback on the Snapchat dysmorphia article. Please reach out if you have any questions/concerns. Thank you! - Jinnyjin123 (talk) 04:57, 17 March 2024 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: Health Psychology
— Assignment last updated by Nicoleschully (talk) 19:17, 25 April 2024 (UTC)

Causes: Social Media
I would like to add this little blurb to the "social media" section under causes for BDD:

Fitness culture also plays a role in the link between social media and body dysmorphia. The rise in fitness influencers via Tik-Tok and Instagram reels has created a spike in recent conversations surrounding body dysmorphia due to the standards that they set up for their viewers. Bodybuilders such as Chris Bumstead (also known as Cbum) and recent youtube sensation Sam Sulek have become role models for young teens who have come to the internet for guidance and inspiration for their fitness endeavors. While these internet personalities may have good intentions and are merely documenting their progress towards their own goals, their platforms can set up unrealistic standards for their viewers. Famous fitness influencers have only made such big names for themselves because of their incredible physiques, but they are not always transparent about how they obtained those physiques. They can sometimes guarantee their viewers success in the gym through dedication and hard work alone, while failing to mention if they are on performance-enhancing drugs or acknowledging that genetics play a huge part in one's physique. Viewers might then fall under the misconception that they can achieve a similar physique on their own, which can make them more susceptible to body dysmorphia. Jackhan8582 (talk) 20:04, 30 April 2024 (UTC)

Treatments
I would like to revise the treatment section of this article and expand on the treatment through CBT:

Medication and psychotherapy[edit]
Anti-depressant medication, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) are considered effective. SSRIs can help relieve obsessive–compulsive and delusional traits, while cognitive-behavioral therapy can help patients recognize faulty thought patterns. A study was done by Dr. Sabine Wilhelm where she and her colleagues created and tested a treatment manual specializing in BDD symptoms that resulted in improved symptoms with no asymptomatic decline.

CBT is a commonly-recommended treatment across the board for all disorders that fall under the category of obsessive-compulsive. This is because CBT aims at the psychological root of the issue by helping patients cultivate an understanding of their problems, reducing self-obsession, and reducing self-deprecating coping strategies. It also incorporates elements of exposure therapy to help the patient rewire the way their disorder affects them. The National Institute for Health recommends CBT for BDD following a protocol of 16-24 sessions. Core treatment elements include Psychoeducation and Case Formulation, Cognitive Restructuring, Exposure and Ritual Prevention and Mindfulness/Perceptual Retraining. Before treatment, it can help to provide psychoeducation, as with self-help books and support websites. Jackhan8582 (talk) 03:50, 1 May 2024 (UTC)