The proposed Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23) is a five-year plan that will enable the candidate to develop her career as a clinical researcher with a programmatic line of research for the treatment of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). The candidate outlines an application integrating formal coursework, mentorship under established psychosocial treatment researchers and experts in the area of BDD and interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) and an independent research program that will enable the candidate to: (1) develop expertise in phenomenology and psychosocial treatments for BDD; (2) increase her experience, knowledge and skills in the area of IPT; (3) develop a more comprehensive knowledge of the methodology of psychosocial and pharmacotherapy treatment outcome research; (4) strengthen her knowledge of advanced statistics relevant to the design, execution, and analysis of studies of outcomes research; (5) increase her knowledge of research ethics; (6) enhance her manuscript- and grant-writing skills. The training activities proposed in this application will enable the candidate to develop a novel interpersonally focused treatment for BDD. The candidate's immediate research plan focuses on the development of a comprehensive IPT treatment manual for BDD which will be used in a randomized controlled pilot study comparing IPT to a treatment as usual (TAU) control in a sample of outpatients diagnosed with BDD. The proposed study will assess the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of the newly designed intervention. More specifically, the candidate will examine the effects of IPT on measures of BDD severity, interpersonal distress, and social adjustment. The skills, training and pilot data obtained from this award will subsequently support the development of an R01 application in Years 04-05 of the award period. BDD is relatively common and causes marked impairment in functioning; a reduction in quality of life; impaired interpersonal relationships and frequent suicidality. Therefore, the development of psychosocial treatments for patients with BDD are greatly needed. The proposed research is expected to have substantial clinical and public health significance because it will result in the development of a specialized, efficacious psychosocial treatment for an understudied and often-debilitating disorder. ? ? ? ?
| Didie, Elizabeth R; Loerke, Elizabeth H; Howes, Sarah E et al. (2012) Severity of interpersonal problems in individuals with body dysmorphic disorder. J Pers Disord 26:345-56 |
| Phillips, Katharine A; Didie, Elizabeth R; Feusner, Jamie et al. (2008) Body dysmorphic disorder: treating an underrecognized disorder. Am J Psychiatry 165:1111-8 |
