Religious stigmata: a dermato-psychiatric approach and differential diagnosis

Stigma refers to the wounds reproduced on the human body, similar to the ones inflicted on the Christ during his crucifixion, on the palms, soles, and head, as well as the right or the left side of the chest, the lips and, the back. Whether they are genuine or fabricated, stigmata are still considered a medical enigma.

To summarize and analyze all available medical data about stigmata, integrating both its dermatological and psychiatric features.

A systematic search of Pubmed and Embase databases was conducted on August 19, 2016, using the terms stigma, stigmata, and religious.

Around 300 cases of stigma have been described since the 13th century. Hematidrosis, hemolacria, bloody otorrhea, vicarious menstruation, and Gardner-Diamond syndrome were all dermatological disorders that resulted in signs and symptoms similar to that of stigma. Stigma was often associated with the occurrence of intense emotion or great psychological stress. It also occurred in the context of simulation, factitious disorder, conversion disorder, and functional neurological symptom disorder.

Stigma remains an example of the intricate relationships existing between medicine, psychiatry, psychology, spirituality, and the human body.