Financial Support: None declared Conflict of Interest: None declared Date of Submission: 10-06-2022 Date of Acceptance: 27-06-2022 Date of Publication: 31-07-2022 Correspondence: Dr. Dhanalakshmi S (Email: paravaitheevu@gmail.com) Copy Right: The Authors retain the copyrights of this article, with first publication rights granted to Medsci Publications. National Journal of Community Medicine│Volume 13│Issue 07│July 2022 Page 469 How to cite this article: Chibi R, Megala M, Kadirvelu U, Dhanalakshmi S, Chellavel GK. Epidemiology of Body Dysmorphic Disorder Among Adolescents in Imphal West District, Manipur. Natl J Community Med 2022;13(7):469-472. DOI: 10.55489/njcm.130720222157 ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE pISSN09763325│eISSN22296816 Open Access Article (CC BY-SA) www.njcmindia.com DOI: 10.55489/njcm.130720222157 Epidemiology of Body Dysmorphic Disorder Among Adolescents In Imphal West District, Manipur Chibi Rushitha 1 , Megala M 2 , Udhayabashkaran Kadirvelu 3 , Dhanalakshmi S 4 , Chellavel Ganapathi K 5 1,2,3,4,5 Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College, Salem, India INTRODUCTION Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) consists of a pre- occupation with a perceived defect. The ‘defect(s)’ is not noticeable to other people (or is minimal); how- ever, it is associated with shame, depression, and a poor quality of life. 1 There is no doubt that we live in a culture that emphasizes physical beauty. Whether by means of television, newspapers or magazines, we are constantly presented with images of perfect faces and bodies. BDD sufferers are concerned that there is something seriously wrong with how they look and are desperate to appear normal and blend in. 2 If an adolescent is constantly preoccupied and upset about body imperfections or appearance flaws, then it may be a sign of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). 3 BDD usually presents during adolescence and young adulthood being more pronounced in females. The average age of onset is 16-17 years. 4 The appearance preoccupations are difficult to resist or control and on average consume 3 to 8 hours a day. 5 ] They en- gage in repetitive and time-consuming behaviours, resulting in decreased social, academic and occupa- tional functioning. 6 Studies show that females were more concerned with their lower bodies (e.g., legs and buttocks) while males were concerned with their upper bodies, overall muscle mass, and genita- lia. 7 Different studies show a variation in the preva- lence of BDD in the general population, but, on aver- age, rates of 0.7-1.7% have been reported for com- ABSTRACT Background: Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a psychiatric disorder characterized by preoccupa- tion with a perceived flaw(s) in one’s appearance, leads sufferers to engage in repetitive behaviours to try to hide or fix the flaw(s) causing significant distress and interference. BDD is an unrecognized and undiagnosed problem among adolescents. Therefore, conducting a study in the Imphal West will identify the adolescents at risk. The objective of the study is to determine the prevalence of BDD among higher secondary students in Imphal West, Manipur. Methodology: This study was conducted among higher secondary students during Aug 2019 -Feb 2020. Sampling was done by stratified two stage cluster design and self-administered validated Body Image Disturbance Questionnaire was used. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics. Chi-square test was used for comparing proportions. Results: Out of the total 1207 students, 52% were female. Almost 92.2% of the students were concerned about some aspect of their appearance. About 2.6% met the DSM-V criteria for BDD. Females were sig- nificantly dissatisfied with their skin (71.3%), nose (59.3%), hair (34.7%), whereas men with their mus- cle build (54.8%) and eyes (40.3%). Conclusions: The study revealed BDD was prevalent but many individuals were unaware about the condition and its treatment. Key words: Adolescents, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Pre-occupation, School students