The BDD Special Interest Group is dedicated to advancing knowledge and disseminating information about body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) to professionals, people with BDD and their family members, and the public. This group is open to professionals as well as community members and people with lived experience.

BDD consists of preoccupation with perceived defects in one’s physical appearance that other people perceive as non-existent or only slight (although most people with BDD think that they really do look unattractive or ugly). To be diagnosed as BDD, the appearance preoccupations must cause significant emotional distress or impairment in functioning. If a person is preoccupied with the inaccurate belief that they’re overweight or that parts of their body are too fat, and they also have an eating disorder, these body image concerns are considered a symptom of the eating disorder (not BDD). The IOCDF has a separate Eating Disorder Special Interest Group (SIG).

SIG Leadership:

Katharine Phillips, MD
Fugen Neziroglu, Ph.D.
Chris Trondsen, LMFT, APCC, IOCDF Board Member, IOCDF Advocate
Scott M. Granet, LCSW
Sony Khemlani-Patel, Ph.D.
Barbara Van Noppen, Ph.D.

Accomplishments:

  • Creation of an annual one-day Online BDD Conference, with separate tracks for professionals and people with lived experience.
  • Creations of a BDD track at the IOCDF's annual conference.
  • Creation of a BDD section of the IOCDF website that provides information about many aspects of BDD.
  • Writing and posting blogs about BDD on the IOCDF website.
  • Being interviewed about BDD; the interviews are posted on the IOCDF website.
  • Doing a one-day training for professionals on BDD at the IOCDF’s BTTI (Drs. Neziroglu, Wilhelm, and Phillips)
  • Doing a live-streamed Town Hall on BDD (Chris Tronsden interviewed Drs. Phillips, Neziroglu, and Wilhelm)
  • Participate in BDD Awareness Day (September 3)

Initiatives:

  • Continue to hold an annual Online BDD Conference.
  • Continue to plan a BDD track at the IOCDF annual Conference.
  • Update information about the BDD on the IOCDF website.
  • Write and post blogs about BDD on the IOCDF website.
  • Provide additional training on BDD through the BTTI.
  • Hold additional BDD-focused town halls.
  • Continue involvement in the annual BDD Awareness Day, September 3.

Meeting Dates:

To receive the meeting link, fill out the interest form below.

  • BDD SIG Meetings:
    • Saturday, June 20 at 10am PT / 1pm ET
    • Saturday, October 24 at 10 am PT / 1pm ET
  • BDD Professionals Only Meetings (open to Licensed Clinicians, Researchers, Trainees)
    • Friday, Sept. 18 at 12pm ET
    • November meeting TBD

About the BDD SIG Meetings

  • Leadership and professional members meet four times a year. These meetings focus on planning and carrying out the BDD initiatives listed above.
  • Leadership and people with lived experience, family members, and caregiver members will meet four times a year.  Meetings will include a special topic presentation or a focused discussion and will be held quarterly (3 virtual meetings via Zoom and 1 in-person meeting at the Annual OCD Conference). 
  • Please note that the above meetings are not support groups or places to share personal experiences or receive advice about one’s personal situation.
  • Professionals, people with lived experience, family members, and caregivers meet together at the BDD track every year at the Annual OCD Conference.

Want to Join the BDD SIG?

If you are interested in applying to join and receiving the meeting links, please fill out this brief form. If you have additional questions, email sigs@iocdf.org.
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