Hilary Weingarden

Barriers to treatment and service utilization in an internet sample of individuals with obsessive-compulsive symptoms.

Background: Despite the increasing dissemination of treatment for Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in the past decade, the majority of individuals with OCD are not receiving appropriate treatment. This study examined rates of treatment utilization and barriers to treatment in an internet sample of individuals with self‐reported OCD. Methods: One hundred and seventy‐five participants completed an online survey examining OCD symptoms, psychosocial measures, barriers to treatment, and treatment utilization. Results: Sixty percent of the sample reported receiving treatment for their OCD symptoms. The majority of participants who sought pharmacotherapy received SSRIs, whereas the majority who sought psychotherapeutic treatment received “talk therapy.” The cost of treatment, lack of insurance coverage, shame, and doubt that treatment would be effective were the most commonly endorsed barriers to treatment among the sample. Conclusions: Findings demonstrated relatively low treatment utilization rates among the sample, with many participants receiving treatments other than the gold‐standard medication and psychotherapy treatments (i.e. SSRIs and cognitive behavioral therapy, respectively). Furthermore, a large portion of the sample endorsed many barriers to treatment seeking, such as logistic and financial barriers; stigma, shame, and discrimination barriers; and treatment perception and satisfaction barriers. This study highlights the need for more effective treatment dissemination in OCD. Depression and Anxiety, 2010.

Treatment utilization and barriers to treatment engagement among people with body dysmorphic symptoms

OBJECTIVES Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is characterized by an excessive preoccupation with an imagined or minor appearance flaw. Many aspects of BDD remain unknown, such as rates of treatment utilization, types of treatment sought, and barriers to treatment. The present study sought to examine rates and patterns of treatment utilization as well as barriers to treatment among individuals with body dysmorphic symptoms. METHODS The present study consists of 401 individuals with symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of BDD who completed self-reported measures of treatment utilization and barriers to treatment in an internet survey. RESULTS Consistent with past research, results showed that individuals with probable BDD reported seeking non-mental health treatments for BDD (e.g., plastic surgery). Additionally, an examination of treatment barriers demonstrated significant barriers for the sample for the three domains examined: logistic and financial; stigma, shame, and discrimination; and treatment skepticism. Secondary analyses revealed a differential endorsement of treatment barriers across ethnic groups for all three barrier domains. CONCLUSION These data suggest that BDD is still an underrecognized disorder with marked barriers to treatment. Increased education and dissemination efforts are warranted.

Shame in the obsessive compulsive related disorders: A conceptual review

BACKGROUND Theoretical and anecdotal support for the role of shame in obsessive compulsive related disorders (OCRDs) is prominent. Developing our understanding of shame׳s role in OCRDs is important to building knowledge about this new diagnostic category. This review aims to consolidate our understanding of shame in each OCRD, through summarizing existing clinical, conceptual, and empirical work. METHODS We provide an overview of shame, its measurement considerations, and a full review of 110 articles addressing shame in OCRDs. RESULTS General shame and shame about having a mental illness are the broadest types of shame relevant to OCRDs; symptom-based shame and body shame may be more specific to OCRDs. In OCD, violent, sexual, or blasphemous obsessions may trigger symptom-based shame. In trichotillomania (TTM) and skin picking (SP), symptom-based shame may be related to pulling, picking, and post-pulling/picking behaviors. In hoarding disorder, symptom-based shame may accompany beliefs about being defective due to living with clutter. Body shame appears inherent to body dysmorphic disorder, while in TTM and SP it may arise as a secondary response to damage resulting from body focused repetitive behaviors. LIMITATIONS Much of the current knowledge on shame in OCRDs comes from anecdotal, case, and conceptual work. Empirical studies do not always assess specific types of shame, instead assessing shame as a general construct. CONCLUSIONS Shame is closely related to OCRDs. Clinical and research recommendations drawing from the literature are provided.

Correlates of Quality of Life and Functional Disability in Individuals with Body Dysmorphic Disorder

OBJECTIVE Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a chronic mental illness characterized by low quality of life and functional disability across multiple domains. Despite the clinical importance of understanding impairment in BDD, there has been little research examining the factors that contribute to these constructs. The present study was designed to examine sociodemographic and clinical correlates of quality of life and disability (work, social, and family) in a sample of individuals with moderately severe BDD symptoms. METHOD Participants completed an internet survey with questions about demographics, BDD phenomenology, treatment, and impairment. Only participants who completed all study measures and received a score≥16 on the 10-item Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale, Modified for BDD (BDD-YBOCS), indicating the presence of clinical BDD symptoms, were included in the analysis (n=256). Multivariate regression with backwards variable selection was used to identify significant predictors of quality of life and functional disability, assessed with the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Scale-Short Form (QLESQ-SF) and the Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS), respectively. RESULTS BDD symptom severity was inversely associated with quality of life and directly associated with disability in all domains. After controlling statistically for BDD symptom severity, sociodemographic and clinical factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, insurance, body parts of concern, depression symptoms, and anxiety symptoms were significantly associated with impairment. CONCLUSION Results suggest a multidimensional nature of quality of life and functional disability and underscore the importance of developing holistic treatment strategies to address impairment in BDD.

The moderating role of social support on the relationship between impulsivity and suicide risk.

BACKGROUND Suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students. There has been considerable research into risk factors for suicide, such as impulsivity, but considerably less research on protective factors. AIMS The present study examines the role that social support plays in the relationship between impulsivity and suicide risk. METHODS Participants were 169 undergraduates who completed self-report measures of impulsivity and social support. Suicide risk was assessed using an interview measure. RESULTS Social support moderates the relationship between impulsivity and suicide risk, such that those who are highly impulsive are less likely to be at risk for suicide if they also have high levels of social support. CONCLUSIONS Social support can be a useful buffer to suicide risk for at-risk individuals who are highly impulsive.

Body dysmorphic symptoms: Phenomenology and ethnicity

Differences in the presentation of clinical features of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) across ethnic groups have received little investigation. The current study assessed BDD symptoms in an ethnically diverse sample of adults (n=401) using an online survey. Participants completed self-report measures assessing BDD symptoms, body parts of concern and BDD behaviors. Compared to Caucasian participants, no significant differences were found in body parts or behaviors reported by Latino or African American participants. Significant group differences did emerge between Asian and Caucasian participants. Specifically, Asians reported more concern with straight hair and dark skin and fewer body shape concerns than Caucasians. Asians also endorsed lower rates of grooming, touching body parts, and camouflaging and higher rates of exercise compared to Caucasians. Although most clinical features of BDD appear similar across ethnic groups, results showed some differences in body parts and behaviors between Caucasians and Asian Americans with BDD symptoms.

Cognitive vulnerability to anxiety in the stress generation process: Further investigation of the interaction effect between the Looming Cognitive Style and Anxiety Sensitivity

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The goal of the present study was to replicate and extend previous research on the relationship between stress generation and two well-documented anxiety related cognitive vulnerabilities, Looming Cognitive Style (LCS) and Anxiety Sensitivity (AS). We first sought to replicate findings that LCS and AS augment each others stress generation effect. Next, we expanded upon these findings by conducting fine grained analyses not possible in the prior study, by using the third edition of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (Taylor et al., 2007) and examined the individual facets of AS, which includes: Mental Incapacitation (fear of mental impairment), Physical (fear of catastrophic outcomes such as death), and Social (fear of being noticed for trembling, blushing) facets. METHODS We followed 99 female undergraduates who were assessed twice over a six-week interval. RESULTS First, the results replicated a previous study and showed that LCS and AS magnified each others impact on stress generation. Second, analyses using the individual subscales of AS indicated significant interactions between LCS and the Mental Incapacitation and Physical facets of AS but not the Social facet. LIMITATIONS Limitations of the present study include reliance on self-report measures and the use of a female only sample. Using such a sample is consistent with previous literature, but limits generalizability to males. CONCLUSIONS The present findings are consistent with the emerging view that stress generation is an active, transactional process and that anxiety-related cognitive styles (much like depressive styles) contribute to stress generation.

Early and late perceived pubertal timing as risk factors for anxiety disorders in adult women

Anxiety disorders generally have an early age of onset and can contribute to the development of comorbid disorders later in life. Thus, it is important to identify adolescent risk factors for anxiety. Past research has identified early pubertal timing as a risk factor for anxiety, typically measured as a general construct through self-report. The current study used data from the National Comorbidity Survey-Replication (NCS-R) to examine recollection of early and late menarche as a predictor of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), specific phobias (SP), social anxiety disorder (SAD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and panic disorder (PD) among women. Findings showed that early timing predicted increased risk of a lifetime diagnosis of PTSD, SP, and SAD, whereas late pubertal timing only predicted increased rates of SAD. Examination of race as a potential moderator of these relationships did not yield significant findings, but these analyses were limited by low power. Other limitations and future directions are discussed.

The relationship between perceived social support and severity of body dysmorphic disorder symptoms: the role of gender

OBJECTIVE Whether social support is associated with severity of body dysmorphic symptoms is unknown. To address this gap in the literature, the present study aims to examine the association between three domains of perceived social support (i.e., family, friends, and significant others) and severity of body dysmorphic disorder symptoms. METHOD Participants (N = 400) with symptoms consistent with diagnosis of body dysmorphic disorder completed measures of symptomatology and social support via the internet. RESULTS More perceived social support from friends and significant others was associated with less severe body dysmorphic disorder symptoms for males, and more perceived social support from family and friends was associated with less severe body dysmorphic disorder symptoms among females. Additionally, gender moderated the association between perceived social support from significant others and symptom severity, such that perceived social support from a significant other was significantly negatively associated with body dysmorphic symptom severity in males, but not females. CONCLUSION The present study implicates social support as an important area of future body dysmorphic disorder research.

Anxiety and Shame as Risk Factors for Depression, Suicidality, and Functional Impairment in Body Dysmorphic Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Abstract Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) are associated with elevated depression, suicidality, functional impairment, and days housebound, yet little research has identified risk factors for these outcomes. Using path analysis, the present study examined anxiety and shame as risk factors for these outcomes across Internet-recruited self-report groups (BDD [n = 114], OCD [n = 114], and healthy control [HC; n = 133]). Paths from anxiety and shame to outcomes were similar and mostly significant across BDD and OCD, compared to non-significant paths for HCs, with one exception: the path from shame to depression was significant in the BDD group (b = 0.32) but non-significant in the OCD group (b = 0.07). Findings underscore similarities in BDD and OCD, supporting their reclassification into the same Obsessive Compulsive Related Disorders category. Results emphasize the importance of targeting shame, in addition to anxiety, in treatments for BDD and OCD.