Anybody may experience intermittent concerns about his or her appearance. Some individuals, however, become so distressed about how they look that it interferes with their daily life. Such individuals may qualify for a diagnosis of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). BDD is a severe mental condition in which the individual is preoccupied with a perceived defect or flaw in his or her appearance. Those with BDD misperceive objectively slight or nonexistent “flaws” as hideous and repulsive, which causes significant distress and impairment in daily life.

Although the symptoms of BDD have been described for more than 100 years, this disorder has received scientific and therapeutic attention only since the 1990s. To date, BDD is often under- or misdiagnosed. Several reasons might account for this problem. First, individuals ...