STRUCTURED PSYCHODIAGNOSTIC INTERVIEW IN PATIENTS WITH BODILY DYSPHORIA (IN CONTEXT OF INTERNET COMMUNICATION)

Abstract

Relevance. Psychological study of the phenomenon of “bodily dysphoria” as a distress caused by abnormal-negative perception of one’s own body. Elaboration of the concept of “bodilydysphoria” requires the establishment of biographical, family, traumatic, social, introspective and behavioral characteristics of a distress.
 Aim. To develop the structure of clinical psychodiagnostic’s interview for body-associated distress systematization in patients with gender dysphoria, body dysmorphic disorder and eating disorders.
 Materials and methods. Perspective study took place in period of 2018-2021 on the contingent of 116 patients with main diagnosis of GD (36 patients), BDD (38 patients) and ED (42 patients) who were enrolled into the study as volunteers both and underwent semi-structured personal (31 cases) or online-interview (85 cases).
 Results. In our approach we used 3 basic affective reactions: frustration (described as a heavy feeling of the need to change the existing circumstances when it is impossible, which is associated with despair, a sense of hopelessness), anxiety (described as an expectation of negative consequences) and adversion (described as disgust, emotional rejection of existing circumstances).
 Conclusions. The structured psychodiagnostic interview for distress pattern recognition was developed basing on the psychological study of 116 patients with gender dysphoria, eating disorders and body dysmorphic disorder.
 Study population was examined by clinical psychologist and underwent testing for internet addiction that showed levels of addictive pattern of internet use: 66.7% in GD patients; 71.4% in BDD patients; 63.1% in ED patients.
 Created the structure of 13 distinct distress categories that analysed by 146 questions, which are aimed to recognize possible personal reactions to correspondent “triggers”. Possible emotional reactions were classified to 3 negative categories – adversion, frustration and anxiety; 1 neutral category and 1 positive category – pleasure. General analysis of distress patterns showed that GD could be characterized as equally presented by all 3 negative categories (adversion, frustration and anxiety); ED presented by anxiety and frustration, BDD presented mostly by adversion and frustration.