Body Dysmorphic Disorder Self-Test

If you have trouble maintaining your daily life because of constant thoughts about your physical flaws, you might be suffering from Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD).

While only a mental health professional can diagnose BDD, this self-test* can serve as a helpful guide to let you know if you should seek help.

Learn more about Body Dysmorphic Disorder from the International OCD Foundation.

BDD Questionnaire

This questionnaire assesses concerns about physical appearance. Please read each question carefully and select the answer that best describes your experience.

1. Are you worried about how you look? Examples of areas of concern include: your skin (for example, acne, scars, wrinkles, paleness, redness); hair; the shape or size of your nose, mouth, jaw, lips, stomach, hips, etc.; or defects of your hands, genitals, breasts, or any other body part. Yes / No

If yes: Do you think about your appearance problems a lot and wish you could think about them less? Yes / No

NOTE: If you answered “No” to either of the above questions, you are finished with this questionnaire. Otherwise continue.

2. Is your main concern with how you look that you aren’t thin enough or that you might get too fat? Yes / No

3. How has this problem with how you look affected your life?

Has it often upset you a lot? Yes / No
Has it often gotten in the way of doing things with friends, dating, your relationships with people, or your social activities? Yes / No
Has it caused you any problems with school, work, or other activities? Yes / No
Are there things you avoid because of how you look? Yes / No

4. On an average day, how much time do you usually spend thinking about how you look? (Add up all the time you spend in total in a day)

a. Less than 1 hour a day
b. 1-3 hours a day
c. More than 3 hours a day

You’re likely to have BDD if you give the following answers on the BDD questionnaire:

Question 1: Yes to both parts
Question 3: Yes to any of the questions
Question 4: Answer b or c

Want to speak with a trained expert in your area? Visit the International OCD Foundation to find therapists, clinics, support groups, and organizations to help.

* This questionnaire was adapted from the BDD questionnaire for adolescents as it appears in The Broken Mirror: Understanding and Treating Body Dysmorphic Disorder by Katharine A. Phillips (Oxford University Press, 2005). The BDD questionnaire is copyrighted and cannot be modified without permission. For more information about the BDD questionnaire and other assessments for BDD, please visit The Body Dysmorphic Disorder Program at Rhode Island Hospital website.