Body Dysmorphic Concerns, Social Adaptation, and Motivation for Psychotherapeutic Support in Dermatological Outpatients
September 2016
in “
Journal der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft
”
body dysmorphic disorder dermatological outpatients psychoeducation psychotherapy interdisciplinary collaboration cosmetic surgery self-assessment tools diagnostic interviews BDD skin patients mental health education therapy teamwork between specialties plastic surgery self-evaluation tools diagnostic conversations
TLDR Some skin patients have body image issues linked to social difficulties but want psychological help.
In a 2016 study involving 252 dermatological outpatients from a German university hospital, researchers found that 7.9% of the patients had clinically relevant body dysmorphic concerns, which were associated with poor social adaptation. Despite this, these patients showed a high motivation for psychotherapeutic support. The study highlighted the need for psychoeducation and psychotherapy to be offered more frequently to dermatological patients with body dysmorphic concerns. It also emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration between dermatology, cosmetic surgery, psychotherapists, and psychiatrists. The study used self-assessment tools and suggested that future research should include diagnostic interviews and explore implicit processes related to body dysmorphic disorder.
