The relationship between anorexia nervosa and body dysmorphic disorder

• Anorexia nervosa and body dysmorphic disorder share similar etiological factors
• Similar in age of onset, illness trajectory, clinical and personality variables
• Cognitive and information processing biases might be a common underlying phenotype
• BDD shows better response to psychological treatment than AN
• Successful treatment components should be transferred between disorders

Anorexia nervosa (AN) and body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) are severe body image disorders that highly impair individuals in their daily functioning. They are discrete but overlapping nosological entities. In this review, we examine similarities between AN and BDD with regard to clinical, personality and demographic aspects, such as comorbidity, phenomenology, and treatment outcome. The review suggests that the two disorders are highly comorbid, and show similar ages of onset, illness trajectories, and comparable clinical and personality characteristics. However, important differences emerge in their responsiveness to psychosocial and psychopharmacological treatment, which are discussed. Clinical implications of these findings are summarized and directions for future research are delineated, with a focus on how current treatment components from each disorder may inform new interventions for both disorders.