Body Dysmorphia Test
How the Scales are Structured
Who Usually Takes This Test?
See How You Compare
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.
Example Questions From the Test
- Not at all
- Rarely (less than 1 hour per day)
- Sometimes (1 to 3 hours per day)
- Often (3 to 8 hours per day)
- Very often (more than 8 hours per day)
- Not at all
- Rarely (less than 1 hour a day)
- Sometimes (1 to 3 hours a day)
- Often (3 to 8 hours a day)
- Very often (more than 8 hours a day)
- Not at all
- Rarely (less than 1 hour per day)
- Sometimes (1 to 3 hours per day)
- Often (3 to 8 hours per day)
- Very often (more than 8 hours per day)
Body Dysmorphia Test - Description and methodology of the test
People who spend substantial time worrying about a perceived appearance flaw may use this Body Dysmorphia Test to organize what they are experiencing. It is intended for self-reflection by anyone noticing body dysmorphia symptoms, persistent appearance-related concerns, or disruption in everyday activities. The result summarizes severity, helping you see whether these concerns appear limited, moderate, or more pronounced.
What This Assessment Explores
This body dysmorphic disorder test examines how strongly appearance-related concerns occupy attention and affect daily functioning. It suits people who notice preoccupation with perceived or minor defects, beyond ordinary grooming concerns. Results reflect greater severity when symptoms are distressing, difficult to control, or lead to avoidance and disruption.
The displayed measure is the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Scale, scored 0-20: Low 0-6, Moderate 7-13, High 14-20. These bands summarize the severity pattern captured by the questions.
The five item themes informing this single overall severity score are:
- Time shows how much of the day symptoms occupy.
- Distress captures their emotional burden.
- Control reflects difficulty reducing or managing them.
- Avoidance indicates withdrawal from activities, places, or people.
- Interference shows effects on study, work, social, or family life.
Methodology and Scientific Basis
Each item uses a five-point frequency rating from 1, “Not at all,” to 5, “Very often,” with anchors referring to approximate hours per day. This format captures emotional impact and functional consequences, not simply dissatisfaction with a feature.
The scoring for this online body dysmorphia questionnaire produces the displayed total. Because the questionnaire does not state how response values are converted to that total, the formula should not be inferred from the answer labels. The reported band summarizes the response pattern.
The question themes are conceptually consistent with BDD-D (LeBeau et al., 2013) and related psychometric work on body dysmorphic disorder dimensional scales. This online form is not presented as the published BDD-D or a validated adaptation of it, and no standardization data are stated for it. Macfarlane et al. (2020) provide psychometric evidence for a related dimensional scale.
Interpret the result as symptom severity within this questionnaire. Current mood, self-awareness, and response style can influence self-report; a high band does not by itself establish a diagnosis, so fuller interpretation requires personal history and assessment.
- LeBeau, Richard T., Mischel, Emily R., Simpson, Helen B., Mataix-Cols, David, Phillips, Katherine A., Stein, Daniel J., and Craske, Michelle G. (2013). Preliminary assessment of obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorder scales for DSM-5. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 2(2), 114-118. 10.1016/j.jocrd.2013.01.005
- Macfarlane, Fiona, Luo, Aileen, Moses, Karen, Russell, Angela, Cheyne, Jacqui, Del Pozo de Bolger, Andrea, and Wootton, Bethany M. (2020). Psychometric properties of the body dysmorphic disorder-dimensional scale. Clinical Psychologist, 24(2), 114-122. 10.1111/cp.12200
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