Genital manifestations of body dysmorphic disorder in men: a review

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a serious psychiatric condition that affects approximately 2.5% of the U.S. adult population. BDD occurs when a person develops a debilitating focus and sense of distress about a minor or imagined physical flaw. There is growing awareness that in some men with BDD, the physical preoccupation centers on the appearance of their genitals. This review explores existing research on genital manifestations of BDD in men. PubMed and PsychInfo searches with the key word's genital manifestations of BDD were conducted, which yielded a list of 48 unique articles. Articles that were included in the present review were published in English and focused on men with a formal diagnosis of BDD from a psychiatrist, psychologist, or structured clinical interview. Only five articles met these criteria, and all were conducted by the same research group. The articles are reviewed here, along with thoughts about directions for future research and implications for treatment.