Clinical Research

The Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) Clinic & Research Unit at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School was founded in 1998 by Sabine Wilhelm, Ph.D. Currently, this is one of the few clinics in the United States, and the only clinic in Boston, specializing in the treatment and research of BDD.

More About Body Dismorphic Disorder

Find out about our approach for BDD.

The facts about BDD.

Information about the treatment of BDD.

About Our Program

The Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) Clinic & Research Unit at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School was founded in 1998 by Sabine Wilhelm, Ph.D.  Our program is one of the few clinics in the United States, and the only clinic in Boston, specializing in the treatment and research of BDD.

BDD is, unfortunately, an illness about which there is little awareness, limited research, and inadequate funding for treatment and research.  In close connection with the MGH Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Clinic & Research Unit and the MGH Trichotillomania Clinic & Research Unit, the mission of the BDD Clinic and Research Unit is to educate healthcare professionals and the general public, advance research, and deliver state-of-the-art treatments.  Together, we hope to improve the standard of care for people suffering from BDD and related disorders.

Our center consists of a treatment program and a research unit. Patients receive cognitive-behavioral therapy and/or medication. Our research currently focuses on the efficacy of treatments for BDD, as well as the factors that may contribute to the development and maintenance of BDD (e.g., information processing biases, perceptual and neuropsychological processes, neurobiological factors).  In addition to our active clinical and research services, our staff is also involved in the training of research fellows and graduate students. 

For more information about our program go to: www.mghocd.org/bdd