A screening questionnaire for body dysmorphic disorder in a cosmetic dermatologic surgery practice

BACKGROUND. Dermatologic surgeons frequently see patients with body dysmorphic disorder, a distressing or impairing pre-occupation with a nonexistent or slight defect in appearance. Recognition of this disorder is essential to avoid unnecessary a and generally unsatisfying surgical outcomes, but no screening tools are available fur use in a dermatology setting. OBJECTIVE. To develop and validate a brief self-report questionnaire to screen for body dysmorphic disorder in dermatology settings. METHODS. A questionnaire was developed and its sensitivity and specificity determined in 46 subjects, using a reliable clinician-administered diagnostic interview fur body dysmorphic disorder. The interrater reliability of: a defect severity scale was also determined (n = 50). RESULTS. The self-report questionnaire had a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 93%. The interrater reliability (ICC) of the defect rating scale was .88. CONCLUSIONS. This brief questionnaire was a highly effective screening tool for body dysmorphic disorder in a cosmetic dermatology setting. Use of this questionnaire may help identify patients with this syndrome.