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Negative priming for threatening vs. non-threatening information in body dysmorphic disorder
Sabine Wilhelm1, Ulrike Buhlmann1, Richard J McNally2
11Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown.
Individuals with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) show cognitive inhibition deficits, but only for non-threatening information. This suggests BDD patients may not attempt to control distressing thoughts about appearance.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is characterized by persistent, intrusive thoughts about perceived appearance flaws.
- These repetitive thoughts are often difficult for individuals with BDD to control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate potential cognitive inhibition deficits in individuals diagnosed with BDD.
- To determine if the nature of stimuli (threatening vs. non-threatening) influences these inhibition deficits.
Main Methods:
- A negative priming paradigm was employed to assess cognitive inhibition.
- Participants with BDD were presented with lexical targets that were either threatening or non-threatening in nature.
Main Results:
- Contrary to expectations, individuals with BDD demonstrated cognitive inhibition deficits specifically for non-threatening information.
- No significant deficits in cognitive inhibition were observed for threatening information in the BDD group.
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest that individuals with BDD may perceive their distressing appearance-related thoughts as valid.
- This perceived validity might reduce the motivation or attempt to actively control these intrusive thoughts.
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