History
The disorder was first documented in 1886 by the researcher Morselli, who dubbed the condition "dysmorphophobia". BDD was recognized by the American Psychiatric Association in 1987 and was recorded and formally recognized as a disorder in 1987 in the DSM-III-R. It has since been changed from "dysmorphophobia" to "body dysmorphic disorder" because the original implies a phobia of people, not a reluctance to interact socially because of poor body image.
In his practice, Freud had a patient who would today be diagnosed with the disorder: Russian aristocrat Sergei Pankejeff (nicknamed "The Wolf Man" by Freud himself in order to protect Pankejeff's identity), had a preoccupation with his nose to such an extent it greatly limited his functioning. It even came to the point where "The Wolf Man" wouldn't go out in public for fear of being scrutinized by others around him.
Read more about this topic: Body Dysmorphic Disorder
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