Acceptance-Based Exposure Therapy for Body Dysmorphic Disorder: A Pilot Study.

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Psychology

Background:

• Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a severe, chronic, and disabling condition.
• Existing evidence for cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) in BDD is limited, highlighting the need for further research into effective psychological treatments.
• BDD is often considered difficult to treat, necessitating exploration of novel therapeutic approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• This study is the first to evaluate the effectiveness of an acceptance-based therapy for body dysmorphic disorder.
• To assess the impact of a 12-week group acceptance-based therapy on BDD symptomatology and related outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-one patients with BDD participated in a 12-week group treatment program.
• The treatment included psychoeducation, acceptance and defusion techniques, and exposure exercises.
• Primary outcome measured BDD symptomatology using the BDD-Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (BDD-YBOCS) assessed by a psychiatrist; secondary outcomes included self-rated symptoms, psychological flexibility, depression, quality of life, and disability.

Main Results:

• A significant reduction in BDD symptomatology was observed from pre- to posttreatment, with a large effect size (d=1.93).
• At posttreatment, 68% of participants achieved clinically significant improvement in BDD symptoms.
• Treatment gains were sustained at 6-month follow-up, with significant improvements also noted in all secondary outcomes.
• The dropout rate was low (9.5%), indicating high treatment acceptability.

Conclusions:

• Acceptance-based exposure therapy appears to be an efficacious and acceptable treatment for body dysmorphic disorder.
• The findings support the need for further investigation of this therapeutic approach in larger, controlled trials.