Early diagnosis of dismorphophobia and others dismorphic disorders: a possible operative model

AIMS: Body Dismorphic Disorder interest the 1-2% of the general population. It is characterized by an unfavorable prognosis and an elevated comorbidity with others psychiatric disorders. Approximately 6-15% of people with body image disorder refer for aesthetic surgery without any benefit indeed the outcome is, often, to request others surgery procedure. The aim of study has been to investigate the presence of dismorphophobia, others dismorphic disorders and psychiatric symptoms in a sample of patients candidates to aesthetic surgery procedure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: It has been recruited 109 patients of mean age 27.21 years, coming to the department of Plastic Surgery of L'Aquila (Italy). To all the patients have been delivered a questionnaire for socio-demographic data and two clinical standardized instruments: Self-report Symptom Inventory-Revised (SCL-90) and the Body Uneasiness Test (BUT). The psychometric and clinical evaluations have been performed by SMILE center (Service for Monitoring and early Intervention against psychoLogical and mEntal suffering in young people), the mission of which is to reduce the burden of mental suffering in young people by of an earlier recognition of signs and symptoms of psychiatric disorders. RESULTS: 42.67% of sample showed positive results to BUT, while 57.33% reported negative results. Moreover, BUT-positive subjects achieved significantly higher results in all SCL-90 items. CONCLUSIONS: A liaison between psychiatrists and plastic surgery equipe is essential for an early diagnosis of Dismorphophobia and others Dismorphic Disorders, to begin an eventual treatment and to supply indications for the surgical candidability. Our study confirm the high prevalence of body image disorders and the presence of other psychiatric symptoms and diseases in patients who demand aesthetic procedure. The detection of early signs of any psychiatric and psychological apparent discomfort represent a priority because this correlate, in most cases, with late diagnosis and intervention because awareness of these types of disease is usually very low and therefore the possibility that subjects with this type of problems are requested to psychiatric services is rare.