Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) worksheets
5 evidence-based resources for Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). Preview any worksheet, then assign it to a client as an interactive digital worksheet.
Written by Tarun Vermani, Trainee Clinical Psychologist Last reviewed
The worksheets here are grounded in Veale's cognitive-behavioural model of body dysmorphic disorder (2004): a distorted, observer-perspective image of a feature, held against exacting standards for appearance, with checking, comparing, camouflage and avoidance keeping attention locked on it. The BDD Formulation (Veale) maps that cycle with the client, and the BDD Monitoring Diary captures triggers, preoccupation and rituals as they happen.
Intervention targets the processes that maintain the preoccupation rather than the feature itself. The Mirror Retraining Plan moves mirror use from critical zooming towards descriptive, whole-body observation; the Photo Experiment Worksheet tests the mental image against photographic evidence; and the BDD Exposure Hierarchy grades exposure to avoided situations with camouflage dropped. BDD is associated with elevated suicide risk, so assess risk routinely — at the outset and throughout. The model is free to explore as an interactive, referenced diagram.
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All Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) worksheets
Showing 5 of 5 resources
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)
BDD Formulation (Veale)
A formulation based on the cognitive-behavioural model of BDD — mapping self-focused processing, distorted self-image, rumination, and safety behaviours.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)
BDD Monitoring Diary
Track BDD episodes — triggers, preoccupation with the perceived flaw, rituals, and mood impact.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)
Mirror Retraining Plan
Practise using mirrors differently — shifting from selective, critical zooming to a full, descriptive, non-judgemental observation of your whole body.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)
Photo Experiment Worksheet
Compare your mental image of yourself with photographic evidence to test whether the perceived flaw is as visible as you believe.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)
BDD Exposure Hierarchy
Build a hierarchy of appearance-related situations you avoid, ranked by distress, to guide graded exposure.
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Request a worksheetFrequently asked questions
Which model do these BDD worksheets follow?
Veale's cognitive-behavioural model (2004), which extended the model Veale and colleagues first set out in 1996. It gives a central place to the distorted, observer-perspective image of the feature, to attention that zooms in on it, and to how much appearance matters to the client's sense of self. NICE CG31 covers body dysmorphic disorder together with OCD.
Should I reassure a client that the feature looks fine?
Generally not. Reassurance eases distress briefly and keeps attention on the feature, so the worksheets treat it as a safety behaviour alongside checking and comparing. When a client asks how they look, address the urge behind the question rather than its content, and agree that approach openly with them early on.
What if a client is pursuing cosmetic procedures?
Bring it into the formulation rather than treating it as off limits: a procedure is an attempt to fix the feature that leaves the distorted image and the meaning attached to appearance untouched. Veale's model treats procedure-seeking as one of the safety behaviours that maintain the preoccupation, and procedures often leave it in place — discuss this openly, and review risk whenever a procedure is being considered.
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