OCD, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Trichotillomania: What Is the Difference?

The DSM-5 grouped OCD, body dysmorphic disorder, and trichotillomania into the obsessive-compulsive spectrum, but they all have distinct differences. The 1 thing that holds the disorders together is repetition.
Patients with OCD have repetitive thoughts and behaviors. Patients with body dysmorphic disorder fixate on tiny details of their appearance that are most likely completely unnoticeable to others. Patients with trichotillomania pull their hair out but because it is a compulsive behavior-not caused by appearance concerns of having too much hair, which would be associated with body dysmorphic disorder.
Other disorders, such as hoarding disorder, body-focused repetitive behaviors, olfactory reference syndrome, misophonia, and emetophobia fall into the obsessive-compulsive spectrum.
At the 2024 annual American Psychiatric Association (APA) conference in New York, Katharine Phillips, professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College, presented the differences between OCD and body dysmorphic disorder and how their treatment regimen varies. In an interview with HCPLive, she described the different symptoms and treatment regimens of OCD, body dysmorphic disorder, and trichotillomania.
Read more:
Part 1: www.hcplive.com/view/katharin...
Part 2: www.hcplive.com/view/katharin...
Other APA content: www.hcplive.com/conference/apa
More psychiatry content: www.hcplive.com/clinical/psyc...
#mentalhealth #APAAM2024 #OCD #bodydysmorphicdisorder #trichotillomania