Prevalence of body dysmorphic disorder in a German college student sample

Bohne, Antje; Wilhelm, Sabine; Keuthen, Nancy J; Florin, Irmela; Baer, Lee; Jenike, Michael A

« Previous Next »Psychiatry Research
Volume 109, Issue 1 , Pages 101-104, 31 January 2002

Prevalence of body dysmorphic disorder in a German college student sample

Antje Bohne
- Massachusetts General Hospital-East/Harvard Medical School, OCD Clinic, 149 Thirteenth Street, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
- Philipps-Universität Marburg, Fachbereich Psychologie, Gutenbergstraße 18, 35032 Marburg, Germany
Sabine Wilhelm
- Massachusetts General Hospital-East/Harvard Medical School, OCD Clinic, 149 Thirteenth Street, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +1-617-724-6146; fax: +1-617-726-40781
Nancy J Keuthen
- Massachusetts General Hospital-East/Harvard Medical School, OCD Clinic, 149 Thirteenth Street, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
Irmela Florin
- Philipps-Universität Marburg, Fachbereich Psychologie, Gutenbergstraße 18, 35032 Marburg, Germany
Lee Baer
- Massachusetts General Hospital-East/Harvard Medical School, OCD Clinic, 149 Thirteenth Street, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
Michael A Jenike
- Massachusetts General Hospital-East/Harvard Medical School, OCD Clinic, 149 Thirteenth Street, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA

Received 27 March 2001; received in revised form 5 December 2001; accepted 6 December 2001.

Abstract

The prevalence of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) was investigated in a non-clinical sample. German college students (n=133; 73.7% female) completed self-report questionnaires assessing BDD, self-esteem, symptoms of depression, obsessive–compulsive disorder and skin picking. Based on our data, seven participants (5.3%) satisfied DSM-IV BDD criteria. Significant differences were found between students with and without BDD in the number of endorsed obsessive–compulsive disorder symptoms. Poor body image was associated with poor self-esteem, symptoms of depression and obsessive–compulsive disorder. One student with BDD also reported severe skin picking. In conclusion, BDD is a common psychiatric disorder in college students.

Keywords: Anxiety disorders, Depression, Obsessive–compulsive disorder, Psychiatric disorder