Psychopathology of psychocutaneous disorders

Abstract

Background: A high percentage of the patients referred to dermatologic clinics are either suffer from self inflicted disorders or from misinterpretation about their own health and organ integrity and or may suffer from different skin sensations including itching, pain, and burning; all of which may develop as a result of their underlying psychopathologies. Objective: Identification of underlying psychopathology of psychocutaneous disorders. Patients and Methods: 109 dermatologic patients who clinically diagnosed as psychocutaneous disorders referred to psychiatric clinic for identification of their mood, personality and thought disorders. The impression of psychocutaneous disorder was made according to clinical interview and physical examinations in dermatology office. A semi-structured interview based on DSM-IV criteria performed on all patients to evaluate their mood, personality and thought. They also filled the Beck's and Tailor inventories for further evaluation of their possible depression and anxiety. Results: 107 out of 109 cases studied, suffered from mood disorders including anxiety, depression or a combination of them. Of the remaining two cases one suffered from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the second one had no psychiatric disorder. 17 out of these 107 cases also suffered from personality disorder and 3 cases had delusional thoughts. Conclusion: All psychocutaneous patients may suffer from one or more psychiatric disorders which should be identified and approached properly.