Development of the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Examination

The Body Dysmorphic Disorder Examination (BDDE) is a semi-structured clinical interview designed to diagnose body dysmorphic disorder and to measure symptoms of severely negative body image. It taps into preoccupation with and negative evaluation of appearance, self-consciousness and embarrassment, excessive importance given to appearance in self-evaluation, avoidance of activities, body camouflaging, and body checking. The BDDE had adequate internal consistency and test-retest and interrater reliability. It correlated with measures of body image, negative self-esteem, and psychological symptoms, and was sensitive to change following treatment of body dysmorphic disorder. The BDDE distinguished body dysmorphic disorder patients from clinical and non-clinical control subjects and agreed with other clinicians' diagnosis of body dysmorphic disorder. The BDDE provided unique information in predicting clinical status when controlling for psychological adjustment and other measures of body image.