Psychodermatology liaison clinic in India: a working model

Area of Science:

• Psychodermatology
• Psychiatry
• Dermatology

Background:

• Up to 30% of dermatology patients experience psychiatric co-morbidity.
• Psychodermatology liaison (PD) clinics are crucial for managing these patients but are scarce in India.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report the working pattern of a PD clinic.
• To determine the efficacy of PD clinics using patient-reported outcome measures.

Main Methods:

• An open-labelled, two-year prospective study of patients with suspected psychocutaneous diseases.
• Utilized Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and Short Assessment of Patient Satisfaction (SAPS) questionnaires.
• Assessed 236 patients, with interventions including psychological support and psychotropic medication.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant reduction in DLQI scores indicated improved quality of life.
• PD clinic patients reported 87.3% satisfaction, compared to 53.8% in standard dermatology clinics.
• Approximately 33% of PD clinic patients had psychiatric co-morbidity, most commonly adjustment disorder.

Conclusions:

• PD clinics are effective in improving quality of life and patient satisfaction for individuals with psychocutaneous conditions.
• The study highlights the need for establishing more PD clinics in India to address the high prevalence of psychiatric co-morbidity in dermatology patients.