What role does cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) play in the management of BDD in primary care?

In the management of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) in primary care, initial treatment may be provided in this setting for some individuals ¹. However, it is important to note that relatively few mental health professionals or General Practitioners (GPs) have expertise in the recognition, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of BDD ¹.

Specialist OCD/BDD multidisciplinary teams are equipped to provide expert assessment and specialist cognitive-behavioural and pharmacological treatment for BDD ¹. Individuals with more severe functional impairment, higher levels of comorbidity, or poor response to initial treatment will require care from these specialist teams ¹.

While the guideline states that effective treatments for both Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and BDD should be offered at all levels of the healthcare system, the specific low-intensity Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) options (such as brief individual CBT with structured self-help, telephone CBT, or group CBT) are explicitly detailed as initial treatments for adults with mild functional impairment due to OCD, rather than BDD, in the provided context ¹.