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NREPP SAMHSA'S National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices
IMPORTANT LEGACY NOTICE: Legacy Programs have not been reviewed by the current National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP). The programs in this database were reviewed only under the previous National Registry of Effective Prevention Programs system. This section is intended to be used for historical reference only. If you would like more information about a program listed here, please contact the program developer directly. The program developer of each Legacy Program listed here agreed to post program information on this site.

Cognitive-Behavioral Body Image Therapy for Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Brief Program Description

The Cognitive-Behavioral Body Image Therapy program uses exposure therapy to overcome maladaptive beliefs about physical appearance and increase sense of self-worth among patients with body dysmorphic disorder. Symptoms of body dysmorphic disorder include low self-esteem due to physical appearance, extreme self-consciousness in social or public situations, and distressing preoccupation with physical appearance, despite having a normal physical appearance. The intervention consists of eight weekly 2-hour outpatient sessions for groups of four or five patients working with one therapist. Patients are assisted in identifying sources of their body image problem (e.g., sociocultural and familial factors) and to identify distressing aspects of their physical appearance. Exposure therapy, thought stopping, and relaxation therapy are used to extinguish distress at the sight of these physical features and in response to distressing situations. Exposure therapy involves exposing or accentuating distressing features, first in a therapy session, then elsewhere as prescribed. Response prevention is used to decrease body checking. Examples of response prevention include stopping weighing or inspecting in the mirror. The intervention has been tested on women aged 20-61 who meet the DSM-IV-R criteria for body dysmorphic disorder.

In evaluations, compared with a wait-list control group, intervention participants showed greater reduction in body dysmorphic disorder symptoms at posttest and at 4 ½ months after treatment completion. In 82 percent of intervention cases, symptoms were eliminated at posttreatment. In 77 percent of cases the symptoms were eliminated at 4 ½ months followup. Available resources for this program include a treatment manual and audiotape.

Contact Information

For indepth information on this program, please use the contact listed below.

Program Developer

James C. Rosen, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritis
Department of Psychology
University of Vermont
John Dewey Hall
2 Colchester Avenue
Burlington, VT 05405-0134
Phone: (707) 337-4590
Email: james.rosen@uvm.edu

In October 2004, this program was designated as a Promising Program under SAMHSA's previous National Registry of Effective Prevention Programs system.