Suicidality in Body Dysmorphic Disorder: A Prospective Study

Summary & key facts

Researchers followed about 185 people with body dysmorphic disorder for up to four years to see how often they had suicidal thoughts or tried to kill themselves. In a typical year, about 58% said they had suicidal thoughts and about 3% tried to kill themselves. Two people in the study died by suicide. The authors call this the first study that followed people with this condition over time and say the completed-suicide finding is preliminary but suggests a high suicide rate in this group.

Key facts:

• The study followed about 185 people with body dysmorphic disorder for up to four years.
• This was the first study to examine suicidality in BDD by following people over time, rather than looking back at past records.
• In an average year, about 58% of participants reported having suicidal thoughts.
• In an average year, about 2.6% of participants attempted suicide, which is roughly 3% when rounded.
• Two participants died by suicide during the study, which the authors report as about 0.3% per year; they describe this completed-suicide result as preliminary.
• The study's overall conclusion is that people with body dysmorphic disorder have high rates of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Cross-sectional/retrospective data have indicated that individuals with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) have high rates of suicidal ideation and attempts. However, no study, to the authors' knowledge, has prospectively examined suicidality in BDD. METHOD: In the first prospective study of BDD's course, the authors examined suicidality in 185 subjects for up to 4 years. RESULTS: Suicidal ideation was reported by a mean of 57.8% of the subjects per year, and a mean of 2.6% attempted suicide per year. Two subjects (0.3% per year) completed suicide. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with BDD have high rates of suicidal ideation and attempts. The completed suicide rate is preliminary but suggests that the rate of completed suicide in BDD is markedly high.

Topics

Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies Eating Disorders and Behaviors Tattoo and Body Piercing Complications

Categories

Clinical Psychology Psychology Social Sciences

Tags

Body dysmorphic disorder Human factors and ergonomics Injury prevention Internal medicine Medical emergency Medicine Occupational safety and health Pathology Poison control Prospective cohort study Psychiatry Psychology Suicide prevention