Psychosomatic aspects in dermatoses

The purpose of this presentation is to offer a classification of psychocutaneous disease and to examinine factors which result in itching and scratching becoming chronic. Pruritus is a very common sensation in dermatoses. All forms of itching, whatever the cause, may be intensified by emotional stress. The patient sample of my own study consisted of seven diagnostic groups, giving a total of 99 patients. The dermatoses were: dermatitis herpetiformis, lichen ruber planus, chronic eczema, atopic eczema, neurodermatitis circumscripta, lichen corneus obtusus and pruritus psychogenes. The principal findings were as follows: 1. Many of the different mechanisms by which skin diseases became chronic had a psychological background. 2. Psychiatric disturbances were clearly more common than in the average population. Possibilities of psychiatric treatment were evaluated. The results confirm the hypothesis that in those skin diseases in which the disease mechanism is not yet sufficiently understood, psychosomatics is of considerable importance or offers an easier way to explain the mechanism.