The Prevalence and Clinical Features of Body Dysmorphic Disorder Among Dermatology Patients in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia
Open accessAbstract
Background and objective Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), which affects 1.7% to 2.4% of people worldwide, is usually encountered for the first time by nonpsychiatric physicians. Up to 37% of cases have been documented in dermatology clinics. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of BDD among Saudis attending dermatology clinics because the literature is lacking in this field, especially in the Eastern Province. Methods This is a cross-sectional study, conducted in 2023. A total of 412 Saudi Eastern Province residents, aged 18 years and older, were included in the study and given a self-administered web-based questionnaire. The study uses the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Questionnaire as one of its three primary measurements, together with sociodemographic data, and dermatological and previous psychological histories. Results A total of 412 participants were enrolled in this study. Of the total sample, 64.5% had more than one skin condition, with the rest having only one one. The most received cosmetic treatment in this study was topical agents. It was estimated that the prevalence of BDD is 9.5% among the studied population. However, it was found that there are no significantly associated factors with the prevalence of BDD. Conclusions This study reports a prevalence of 9.5% among people visiting dermatological clinics. The prevalence is alarming, which emphasizes the importance of enhancing the awareness of BDD among dermatologists and developing certain guidelines to identify and refer these patients to mental health professionals.
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A recent study in Saudi Arabia concluded that almost 9.5% of patients visiting the dermatology clinic have BDD, showing an alarming lack of awareness about this disorder.
“A recent study conducted in Saudi Arabia has concluded that almost 9.5% of the patients visiting the dermatology clinic have BDD, which shows that there is an alarming lack of awareness about this disorder5.”
From Association between beauty standards shaped by social media and body dysmorphia among Egyptian medical students (2025) · cites this paper as [5]
The Conclusions report 9.5% prevalence among people visiting dermatology clinics and call that prevalence alarming. They recommend enhancing dermatologists’ awareness, but do not conclude that the finding demonstrates an alarming lack of awareness about BDD. The Discussion also notes that the estimate came from a screening tool and may be high. (LLM, conf=0.86)
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Retracted
- Authors
- Al Shuhayb, B. S., Bukhamsin, S., Albaqshi, A. A., & Omer Mohamed, F.
- Affiliations
- King Faisal University (SA)
- Venue
- Cureus
- Published
- 2023-07-26
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- e42474-e42474
- ISSN
- 2168-8184 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC10450775
- OpenAlex
- W4385272272
- Cited by
- 9
- References
- 16
- Citations by year
- 2025: 2 · 2024: 7
- FWCI
- 2.62
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Cureus (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Dermatology › Acne and Rosacea Treatments and Effects
- Keywords
- body dysmorphic disorder, prevalence, dermatology patients, skin diseases, cosmetic procedures, risk factors, mental health referral, Saudi Arabia
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