Trastorno dismórfico corporal: una revisión de las dimensiones clínicas, neurobiología y neuropsicología

Abstract

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is an excessive concern for physical defects or imperfections and is considered a subtype of obsessive compulsive disorder. Purpose: this paper constitutes a narrative review of the state of knowledge of neurobiological, neuropsychological and clinical dimensions of BDD. Method: for doing so, a search was carried out in the PubMed, MedLine, Embase, Science Direct and Bibliomed databases. Besides, the descriptors “body dysmorphic disorder”, “cognitive functioning”, “dysmorphophobia” and “cognitive processing” were used both in English and Spanish. Results: TDC was found to be within obsessive compulsive disorder and other related disorders, a category different from that of anxiety disorders in which it was previously included. People with BDD present difficulties in visual perceptual processing and selective attention. In some cases, changes in the visual cortex and in limbic and frontostriatal structures also emerge. It was identified that individuals diagnosed with BDD are four times more likely to experience suicidal ideation and more likely to participate in suicide attempts. Discussion: it is necessary to update the clinical intervention and generate new lines of research in this regard, since the TDC is a complex disorder that is currently more prevalent, given the recent demands of the context regarding the social value of the body.