The importance of mental support to the patients with adult atopic dermatitis

To study mental condition of the patients with severe adult atopic dermatitis, the General Health Questionnaire of 60 symptoms proposed by Goldberg was completed by 64 patients composed of 22 males and 42 females twice (before the start of the treatment and following improvement or reduction of their skin symptoms), and also 65 healthy persons as a matched healthy control. The patients were much more markedly disturbed in the sum of all morbid ratings and all four scales for somatic symptoms, anxiety and worry, social dysfunction and despondency and depressed mood before the start of the treatment than the healthy control. However, the patients showed remarkably reduced scores in all measured scales with improvement of their skin symptoms lower than healthy control. These depressed mental conditions reflected on their daily and social activities. The results obtained indicated that atopic dermatitis could be not only a disease of dermatology but also a disease of mental and even social disease. The results endorsed importance and necessity to provide for dermatologists, the patients family and even nurses concerned mental support to those patients with adult atopic dermatitis.