The experiences of individuals with body dysmorphic disorder: A systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative research

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a distressing psychological condition where an individual is preoccupied by a perceived issue with their appearance. Qualitative studies enable nuanced aspects of BDD phenomenology to be investigated. The current systematic review used thematic synthesis to integrate the findings from the extant qualitative studies. Searches were run on six databases to identify studies that had sought to describe the experience of individuals with BDD. PRISMA guidance was followed and ten articles were identified for inclusion. The quality of each article was appraised and thematic synthesis was conducted to generate novel and summative themes. Three superordinate themes were created: ‘self-objectification and the view of self’; ‘control and protecting the self’; and ‘sociocultural influences and the impact of others in BDD’. Shame and self-disgust emerged as key experiential elements of BDD. The findings of the review suggest that self-objectification theory and possibly models of self-compassion are theoretically relevant to understanding the experience of individuals presenting with BDD. Current interventions may benefit from consideration of these theoretical models when seeking to improve efficacy.