Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T23:08:05.709Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Dysmorphophobic Avoidance with Disturbed Bodily Perception

A Pilot Study of Exposure Therapy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Isaac Marks  and
Joseph Mishan
Isaac Marks*
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry and Bethlem–Maudsley Hospital
Joseph Mishan
Affiliation:
Bethlem Royal Hospital (now at Halliwick Day Hospital, London)
*
∗Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Five chronically disabled dysmorphophobic patients with disturbed bodily perception improved with systematic exposure to avoided situations that evoked dysmorphophobic discomfort, and refraining from behaviours which reduced that discomfort. As avoidance and anxiety improved with exposure, so did associated bodily delusions. Four of the patients had additional problems, for which three cases had drugs at some time. The encouraging pilot results warrant a controlled study of exposure for dysmorphophobic avoidance and anxiety.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 152 , Issue 5 , May 1988 , pp. 674 - 678
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1988 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Andreasen, N. & Bardach, J. (1977) Dysmorphophobia: symptom or disease? American Journal of Psychiatry, 134, 673–676.Google Scholar
Beary, M. & Cobb, J. (1981) Solitary psychosis – 3 cases of alimentary stench treated with behavioural psychotherapy. British Journal of Psychiatry, 138, 64–66.Google Scholar
Braddock, L. (1982) Dysmorphophobia in adolescence. British Journal of Psychiatry, 140, 199–201.Google Scholar
Connolly, F. & Gipson, M. (1978) Dysmorphophobia – a long-term study. British Journal of Psychiatry, 132, 568–570.Google Scholar
Hardy, G. E. & Cotterill, J. (1982) Depression and dysmorphophobia. British Journal of Psychiatry, 140, 19–22.Google Scholar
Hay, G. (1970) Dysmorphophobia. British Journal of Psychiatry, 116, 399–406.Google Scholar
Hay, G. (1983) Paranoia and dysmorphophobia. British Journal of Psychiatry, 142, 309.Google Scholar
Jenike, A. (1984) A case report of successful treatment of dysmorphophobia with tranylcypromine. American Journal of Psychiatry, 141, 1463–1464.Google Scholar
Korkina, M. (1959) Clinical significance of the syndrome of dysmorphophobia. Zh Neuropat Psikhat Korsakov, 59, 994–1000.Google Scholar
Lelliott, P. & Marks, I. M. (1987) Management of obsessive–compulsive rituals associated with delusions, hallucinations and depression: a case report. Behavioural Psychotherapy, 15, 77–87.Google Scholar
Lelliott, P., & Marks, I. M. & Noshirvani, H. (1988) Obsessive-compulsive beliefs and treatment outcome. Psychological Medicine (in press).Google Scholar
Marks, I. M. (1987) Fears, Phobias and Rituals. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Morselli, E. (1886) Sulla dismorfofobia e sulla tafefobia. Bull Accad Med, 6, 110–119.Google Scholar
Munjack, D. (1978) Behavioural treatment of dysmorphophobia. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 9, 53–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Phillippopoulous, G. (1979) Analysis of a case of dysmorphophobia. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry 24, 397–401.Google Scholar
Pryse-Phillips, W. (1971) An olfactory reference syndrome. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 47, 484–509.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stravinsky, A., Marks, I. M. & Yole, W. (1982) Social skills problems in neurotic outpatients. Archives of General Psychiatry, 39, 1378–1385.Google Scholar
Thomas, C. S. (1984) Dysmorphophobia: a question of definition. British Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 513–516.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.