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Health

We may have found why people experience body dysmorphic disorder

People with body dysmorphic disorder seem to have altered activity in a brain pathway involved in attention and recognition, which may explain why they overly focus on aspects of their appearance

By Moheb Costandi

31 July 2024

One symptom of body dysmorphic disorder is spending a lot of time looking in mirrors, or avoiding them altogether

Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty Images

The origin of body dysmorphic disorder has been traced to a specific bundle of neurons within the brain that are connected with processing visual information. The finding, if confirmed, could help the development of new treatments for the condition.

Body dysmorphic disorder is generally defined as a person being overly preoccupied with perceived flaws in a particular aspect of their face or body. Symptoms can include…

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