Psychiatric morbidity in vitiligo and psoriasis: a comparative study from India

In a tertiary-care teaching hospital in India, dermatology outpatients with vitiligo (N=113) and psoriasis (N=103) were studied for psychiatric morbidity. The two groups were similar with regard to education, locality, religion, and attitude to appearance (ATT). Psoriasis cases were older, more often male, and more often married. The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) assessed psychiatric morbidity rates at 33.63% and 24.7% for vitiligo and psoriasis, respectively. The ICD-10 psychiatric diagnoses in GHQ positive cases were: adjustment disorder (56% vs 62%), depressive episode (22% vs 29%) and dysthymia (9% vs 4%) in vitiligo and psoriasis, respectively. The Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale (CPRS) assessed that depression, anxiety, and total psychopathology levels were similar in the two GHQ positive subgroups. Significant correlations were noted between psychopathology (GHQ CRPS), dysfunction as per Dysfunction Analysis Questionnaire (DAQ), and behavior change as per Impact of Skin Disease Scale (IMPACT), and all were more prominent in vitiligo.