Dysmorphic Concern: Prevalence and Associations with Clinical Variables

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this paper is to describe the development of a questionnaire, the Dysmorphic Concern Questionnaire (DCQ), for the assessment of dysmorphic concern, and to establish correlations with clinical variables. Method: Consecutive admissions to a psychiatric hospital were surveyed. Results: The DCQ showed good internal consistency, with most of the variance being explained by a single factor. Strong correlations with distress and work and social impairment lend face validity to the questionnaire. Dysmorphic concern was not significantly influenced by the patient's age, sex or diagnosis. In terms of specific psychotic symptoms, there were weak positive correlations with thought interference and persecutory ideation. However, the strongest correlations were with depressed mood, according to the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) but not the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale; the discrepancy was largely accounted for by the “cognitive” depressive items on the BDI. In terms of objective assessment of dysmorphic features, ratings on the Waldrop scale for minor physical anomalies showed no correlation with concern expressed by the patient. Conclusions: The strong correlation with depressive cognitions suggests that dysmorphic concern is often a reflection of a depressive cognitive set rather than being a diagnosis in itself.