Effectiveness of Levetiracetam in the Treatment of Body Dysmorphic Disorder

The purpose of this study is to assess the usefulness of a medication (Levetiracetam) for people with body dysmorphic disorder.

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), a perceived defect in appearance (e.g., a "large" nose or facial "scarring"), is a relatively common disorder that causes marked distress and impairment in functioning. Recent data suggests that adults with BDD may respond to serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs); however, response to SRIs is often only partial. About one third of patients do not respond to an SRI. Furthermore, patients may stop taking SRIs because of side effects (e.g., sexual side effects). For these reasons, additional monotherapy and SRI augmentation strategies are greatly needed. Levetiracetam is primarily used as an antiseizure medication and has a wider safety margin than other antiepileptics. Preliminary scientific studies may suggest that it may be helpful for certain psychiatric symptoms and disorders. In the present study we propose to obtain pilot data on 1) levetiracetam monotherapy and 2) levetiracetam augmentation of SRIs in patients with BDD.