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Abstract
BackgroundBody dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a characterised by perceived defects or flaws in appearance which are associated with distressing thoughts, repetitive or obsessive behaviours, and significant impairment in social and occupational functioning. A core feature of BDD involves abnormalities of visual processing, although this is not typically a focus of psychological and psychiatric treatments. While current treatments generally show moderate effectiveness in the short-term, those with BDD can have high relapse rates, as they still ‘see’ their flaws or defects. The current research trials a visual training program designed to remediate visual abnormalities and reduce symptom severity of BDD.MethodsThis is a single-group open-label pilot study assessing the feasibility and potential efficacy of a 10-week visual training program. This pilot trial will be conducted at Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia, and will recruit up to 20 participants diagnosed with BDD. These participants will complete pre- and post-assessments and a 10-week visual training program encompassing three phases of basic visual processing, face and emotion recognition, and self-perception. The primary outcomes focus on feasibility and acceptability of the intervention, with secondary outcomes exploring clinical outcomes related to symptom severity, quality of life and eye movements.DiscussionThis pilot trial will translate the empirical findings of abnormalities in visual processing among those diagnosed with BDD, to an innovative treatment method across a range of visual processing levels. This trial will assess the feasibility and potential efficacy of such a visual training program, paving the way for further research including a future definitive randomised control trial.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry, ACTRN 12618000274279, Registered 22nd February 2018.
Highlights
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a characterised by perceived defects or flaws in appearance which are associated with distressing thoughts, repetitive or obsessive behaviours, and significant impairment in social and occupational functioning
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a psychiatric disorder characterised by a preoccupation with perceived flaws or defects in physical appearance, which are associated with distressing thoughts, obsessive or repetitive behaviours and significant impairment in daily functioning [1]
It is possible that BDD has such high relapse rates compared to many other mental health disorders as current treatments do not address a core feature of the disorder: visual perception
Summary
Design Due to the innovative nature of this visual training program, this research will employ a single-group pre-post pilot study design. Brief assessment to track change The assessment to track for any change throughout the three phases of visual training will include a brief symptom severity measure of BDD and a short eye-tracking task. The memory-guided saccade task was chosen as pilot work has indicated that it might be a useful indicator within this population, with inhibitory error rate as the variable of interest This brief assessment will take approximately 15 min to complete and is composed of the Dysmorphic Concern Questionnaire (DCQ) and Memory-guided eye-tracking task, as described above. At the beginning of each week’s visual training activities, participants will complete a brief self-report questionnaire (please see Additional file 2) to assess how much time and effort, if any, they have spent practicing or thinking about the previous weeks training. Any amendments to the protocol will be approved by SUHREC and communicated to the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) and all relevant parties
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