Parameters of visual processing abnormalities in adults with body image concerns.

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), at the extreme end of the body image concern (BIC) spectrum, is thought to be associated with a local (detail-focussed) visual processing bias. Given that the inversion of a stimulus disrupts holistic processing and demands detail-specific attention, this perceptual bias is characterised by superior processing of such inverted stimuli. This study examined the processing bias, via a body-inversion discrimination task, of 26 participants with non-clinical, high-BIC (Dysmophic Concern Questionnaire (DCQ) scores between 11-19) and 26 participants with low-BIC (DCQ scores between 0-4).