44: Body Dysmorphic Disorder: Widespread and Potentially Deadly

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a mental health disorder in which you cannot stop thinking about perceived defects or flaws in your appearance, flaws that are often minor or even invisible to others. This condition currently affects around 2-3% of the general population.

In this edition of Psych Pearls, we speak to Katharine Phillips, MD, about how her pioneering research on BDD, she books on the topic, and options for treatment.    Dr Phillips is currently professor of psychiatry, DeWitt Wallace Senior Scholar, and Residency Research Director for the Department of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medicine. She is also an attending psychiatrist at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and adjunct professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University.