Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Pediatric Body Dysmorphic Disorder

The main purpose of this trial is to develop and investigate the effects of a CBT protocol for children and adolescents with BDD. It is important to investigate CBT in this population given the disorder's early onset and poor trajectory if left untreated. In the first phase of this trial, we will develop the treatment manual, adapting the adult manual for use in a pediatric population. In the second phase of this trial we will test the effectiveness of the CBT treatment in 12 pediatric BDD patients. We intend to treat 12 children and adolescents with BDD. All patients will receive CBT. We will also examine treatment feasibility and acceptability (e.g., retention and reasons for treatment refusal and dropout, expectancy, and motivation), and we will explore predictors of outcome. Therapeutic progress will be broadly assessed with measures of beliefs, behaviors, mood, functioning, and quality of life before, during, and after treatment.