Publications by authors named "Katharine Phillips"

Article Synopsis
  • - This study is a meta-analysis of 15 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining the effectiveness of psychological treatments for body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), involving 905 participants.
  • - Results demonstrated significant improvements in BDD symptoms, depression, anxiety, insight/delusion, psychosocial functioning, and quality of life, with effects lasting between 1 to 6 months post-treatment.
  • - The analysis found that females had greater improvements than males, and longer session durations enhanced treatment effects, while certain factors like delivery mode showed no significant impact; it emphasized the importance of continuing research in this area.
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Article Synopsis
  • - Dermatologists often encounter patients with inflammatory skin conditions and related psychological issues, but many lack formal training to address these concerns holistically.
  • - Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), a psychiatric condition that leads to excessive worry about minor or nonexistent flaws in appearance, is prevalent among dermatology patients, particularly those with chronic skin conditions like acne.
  • - Adolescents are especially at risk for BDD due to high rates of acne and the influence of social media, which can amplify body image dissatisfaction; therefore, dermatologists should use screening tools and collaborate with mental health professionals for optimal patient care.
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It has remained unclear whether individuals with psychiatric disorders involving altered visual processing employ similar neuronal mechanisms during perceptual learning of a visual task. We investigated this question by training patients with body dysmorphic disorder, a psychiatric disorder characterized by distressing or impairing preoccupation with nonexistent or slight defects in one's physical appearance, and healthy controls on a visual detection task for human faces with low spatial frequency components. Brain activation during task performance was measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging before the beginning and after the end of behavioral training.

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Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a common disorder associated with substantial comorbidity, impairment, and poor quality of life. Research on subcultural variations of BDD is limited but may impact assessment and treatment of the disorder. The current study examined clinical features in a sample of sexual minority (SM; n = 43) and heterosexual (n = 155) women with diagnosed BDD.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Results showed that CBT led to a faster initial response (median of 76 days) compared to SPT (88 days), with CBT associated with more consistent symptom improvement and better quality of life.
  • * Clinicians and patients should be aware that significant improvement typically requires more than 11 therapy sessions, and CBT is recommended as the first-line treatment for BDD due to its quicker response times.
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It is generally believed that learning of a perceptual task involving low-level neuronal mechanisms is similar between individuals. However, it is unclear whether this assumption also applies to individuals with psychiatric disorders that are known to have altered brain activation during visual processing. We investigated this question in patients with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), a psychiatric disorder characterized by distressing or impairing preoccupation with nonexistent or slight defects in one's physical appearance, and in healthy controls.

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Purpose: The population is aging, and age remains an important factor in deciding surgical candidacy for intracranial tumors. The natural history and surgical behavior of meningiomas in octogenarians are not well understood. We evaluated the surgical and functional outcomes, including survival, among octogenarians with intracranial meningiomas in a single institution.

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Background: The contribution of psychological disorders to the burden of skin disease has been poorly explored in adolescent patients. The review aims to provide insights into the psychological, social, occupational, and social medias' association with acne, atopic dermatitis (AD), and aesthetics in adolescent patients.

Methods: The project used a modified Delphi process comprising face-to-face discussions followed up online.

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Background: Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a severe and undertreated condition. Although cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is the first-line psychosocial treatment for this common disorder, how the intervention works is insufficiently understood. Specific pathways have been hypothesized, but only one small study has examined the precise nature of treatment effects of CBT, and no prior study has examined the effects of supportive psychotherapy (SPT).

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Background: Surgical intervention for brain tumor patients aged 80 to 89 years is controversial, as the comorbidities and physiology associated with aging are often thought to increase surgical risks. Surgical outcomes, however, are not well characterized for octogenarians. This review therefore assessed the outcomes and mortality risk associated with tumor removal in octogenarians at our academic institution.

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Background: Hospital length of stay (LOS) related to craniotomy for tumor resection (CTR) is a marker of neurosurgical quality of care. Limiting LOS benefits both patients and hospitals. This study examined which factors contribute to extended LOS (eLOS) at our academic center.

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Background: Compared with the Leksell G frame, the new Leksell Vantage stereotactic headframe offers many benefits during deep brain stimulation (DBS) procedures.

Objective: To define the "real-world" targeting accuracy of the Vantage frame for performing DBS lead implants.

Methods: Retrospective review of all patients who underwent DBS using the Vantage frame with our surgeon between July 2021 and May 2022.

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Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is the mainstay of surgical treatment for movement disorders, yet previous studies have shown widely varying complication rates. Given the elective nature of DBS surgery, minimizing surgical complications is imperative.

Objective: To evaluate short-term and long-term complications related to DBS lead implantation surgeries performed by an experienced surgeon and provide an updated benchmark comparison for other DBS centers and alternative therapies.

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Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is common, severe, and often chronic. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the first-line psychosocial treatment for BDD, with well-established efficacy. However, some patients do not improve with CBT, and little is known about how CBT confers its effects.

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Background: Few patients receive cognitive behavioral therapy, the gold-standard for body dysmorphic disorder (CBT-BDD). Smartphones can make evidence-based interventions, like CBT-BDD, more accessible and scalable. A key question is: how do patients view it? Low credibility and expectancy would likely translate to low uptake and engagement outside of research settings, diminishing the impact.

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The Body Dysmorphic Disorder Symptom Scale (BDD-SS) is a self-report tool that captures an array of representative behavioral and cognitive symptoms commonly displayed by individuals with BDD. The BDD-SS is regularly used among experts in the field, though its utility as a measure of treatment response has not yet been formally evaluated. Results from two clinical trials of BDD treatment were pooled from an archived database to create a sample of 220 BDD participants who received either psychosocial or medication-based interventions for BDD.

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Background: Serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) are first-line pharmacotherapy for the treatment of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), a common and severe disorder. However, prior research has not focused on or identified definitive predictors of SRI treatment outcomes. Leveraging precision medicine techniques such as machine learning can facilitate the prediction of treatment outcomes.

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Article Synopsis
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a major global health issue and effective treatment mainly relies on specialized cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) but is not widely available.
  • Current treatment guidelines are essential yet inadequate due to varying clinician expertise in OCD care.
  • The International OCD Accreditation Task Force is working on establishing competency and knowledge standards for specialized OCD treatments, aiming to improve clinical practice and training, with future phases focusing on certification and accreditation processes.
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Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) affects approximately one person in 40 and causes substantial suffering. Evidence-based treatments can benefit many; however, optimal treatment can be difficult to access. Diagnosis is frequently delayed, and pharmacological and psychotherapeutic interventions often fail to follow evidence-based guidelines.

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Background: Research on predictors of treatment outcome in body dysmorphic disorder, a common and severe disorder, is very limited, and no prior studies have examined moderators of outcome. Because treatment is often but not always efficacious, it is important to identify who is more likely to benefit. We examined predictors and moderators of improvement with therapist-delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy versus supportive psychotherapy in the only study of these treatments for body dysmorphic disorder.

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