A Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment Approach for Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Although body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) has been described in the literature for more than a century, there has been only a limited focus on the development of cognitive behavioral treatments for BDD. Our case report provides a detailed description of a course of cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) for an individual with BDD. The patient was treated for 10 weekly 50-minute individual sessions. The treatment focused on psychoeducation, cognitive restructuring, exposure and response prevention, and perceptual retraining exercises. The patient's BDD symptoms significantly improved over the course of the treatment. This case study illustrates several clinical strategies and provides further support for CBT as a promising treatment for individuals suffering from BDD.