BACKGROUND Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a common disorder which is associated with a high rate of comorbidity and functional impairment. Although research shows that cognitive-behavioral therapy can be an efficacious treatment for BDD, there is growing evidence that dysregulated emotion is a core deficit. The Unified Protocol for the Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP) is a transdiagnostic, emotion focused cognitive-behavioral therapy protocol that has been developed to target emotion regulation processes that play an important role in the development and maintenance of many emotional disorders METHODS: : In the present study, 128 patients meeting criteria for BDD were randomized to either the UP (n = 64) or waitlist/treatment-as-usual (WL/TAU) condition. Diagnoses were determined using semi-structural interviews and patients also completed the Brown Assessment of Beliefs Scale (BABS), the Appearance Anxiety Inventory (AAI), the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Clinical Global Impression (CGI). RESULTS Repeated measure ANOVA indicated that the UP significantly decreased depression, BDD symptoms and body-related anxiety, as well as significantly improving emotional regulation all with large effect sizes compared to the TAU/WL condition. Treatment gains as well as remission of comorbid conditions were maintained at the three-month follow-up. LIMITATIONS Our study limitations include restricted follow-up periods and excluding participants who were actively suicidal. CONCLUSIONS To our knowledge, this is the first examination of the UP for BDD, and results suggest that this disorder shares common mechanisms with other disorders of emotion, and that the UP may be an additional efficacious treatment for this condition.
Application of a transdiagnostic treatment for emotional disorders to body dysmorphic disorder: A randomized controlled trial.
Banafsheh Mohajerin,Maryam Bakhtiyar,Olenka S. Olesnycky,B. Dolatshahi,F. Motabi
Published 2019 in Journal of Affective Disorders
ABSTRACT
PUBLICATION RECORD
- Publication year
2019
- Venue
Journal of Affective Disorders
- Publication date
2019-02-01
- Fields of study
Medicine, Psychology
- Identifiers
- External record
- Source metadata
Semantic Scholar, PubMed
CITATION MAP
EXTRACTION MAP
CLAIMS
CONCEPTS
- body dysmorphic disorder
A psychiatric condition marked by distress and impairment related to perceived appearance defects, serving as the target disorder in this trial.
Aliases: BDD
- body-related anxiety
Anxiety focused on appearance and body concerns, measured as a trial outcome.
Aliases: appearance anxiety
- depression
Depressive symptom severity measured as one of the trial outcomes.
Aliases: depressive symptoms
- emotion regulation
The ability to understand and manage emotional responses, assessed here as a treatment outcome.
Aliases: emotional regulation
- remission of comorbid conditions
Loss or marked reduction of additional diagnoses present alongside body dysmorphic disorder during follow-up.
Aliases: comorbid remission
- three-month follow-up
The post-treatment assessment point three months after the intervention ended.
Aliases: 3-month follow-up
- unified protocol for the transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders
A transdiagnostic, emotion-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy protocol used as the active treatment in this trial.
Aliases: UP
- waitlist/treatment-as-usual condition
The comparison condition in which participants were assigned to wait before receiving study treatment or continued usual care.
Aliases: WL/TAU, waitlist, treatment-as-usual
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