The Prevalence and Characteristics of Body Dysmorphic Disorder Among Adults in Makkah City, Saudi Arabia. A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a mental health condition where a person spends much time worrying about flaws in their appearance. The international prevalence of BDD had been reported, and it was about 1.9-2.2%. Objectives: The current study aims to explore the prevalence of BDD among the general population in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study that used an electronic questionnaire. It was distributed to the general population using the convenience sample technique between September 2021 to November 2021. BDD was assessed among the participants using an Arabic-validated tool. The sample size was calculated to be 385 participants. Results: The study included a total of 392 participants. Most of them were female (59.7%), 18-27 years old (62.8%), and had bachelor or post-graduate degrees (67.6%). Among all the included participants, only 28 met the criteria of BDD (7.1%). The BDD population had an equal gender ratio, and most included respondents between 18 and 27 years old (78.6%), college students (60.7%), those with the lowest income level (< 5,000 SR) (78.6%), and who had a normal body mass index (46.4%). Conclusion: The prevalence of BDD in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, was 7.1%. No significant differences were noticed between BDD and non-BDD groups in age, obesity, and gender.