Psychogenic Skin Disease: A Review of35Cases

Abstract

In three years of clinical practice, the authors saw 35 cases of dermatological disorders of strictly psychological origin-8 patients withdermatitis artefacta, 8 with delusional parasitosis, and 19 who presented with skin complaints but showed no dermatological pathology (‘dermatological non-disease’). All but two initially presented for dermatological opinion rather than psychiatric assessment, and 12 refused psychiatric referral. Demographic and clinical details of all 35 cases are given, including possible related factors, course, treatment, and outcome, and the cases are discussed in the context of the existing literature. Liaison between dermatologists and psychiatrists is strongly advocated.