A career in art and design could be bad for your mental health, according to UK researchers who found that people who have been to art school are five times more likely to suffer from a condition called body dysmorphic disorder (BDD).

BDD is a mental illness characterised by a distorted body image. People who suffer from the condition obsess about the way they look, and are preoccupied with slight or imagined defects in their physical appearance. These concerns can cause significant distress for BDD sufferers and can lead to anxiety or even depression.

Although some people with this disorder can manage to function well despite their distress, for others it can cause significant problems in their everyday lives. For example, their preoccupations may cause difficulties in social situations and they may find it hard to concentrate at work or at school.

Researchers from the Royal Free and University College Medical School in London compared 100 BDD patients with 100 people with depression, 100 with obsessive-compulsive disorder and 100 with post-traumatic stress disorder.

They found that 20 per cent of the BDD patients worked in art and design, or had been to art school, compared to only 4 per cent of the depressed patients, 3 per cent of those with obsessive compulsive disorder and none of those with post-traumatic stress disorder.

The researchers say their findings are consistent with other studies that found BDD sufferers often have idealised values about appearance and tend to be perfectionists.

“Onset of body dysmorphic disorder is usually gradual during adolescence and an education in art and design may be a contributory factor to its development in some patients,” said lead researcher Dr David Veale.

“Alternatively, patients with body dysmorphic disorder may have a selection bias for an interest in aesthetics,” he added.

A second study undertaken by the research team found that BDD sufferers were similar to those with depression, bulimia and social phobia because they were more concerned about not achieving their own standards than the perceived ideals of others.

‘This suggests that BDD patients have an unrealistic ideal or demand as to how they should look,’ said Dr Veale.

The researchers, who presented their findings at the Royal College of Psychiatrists annual meeting in Cardiff this week, say that further studies are required into the link between BDD and an education or career in art and design.

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