Psychosomatic skin diseases

Background: Thirty to forty percent of the patients referred to dermatologic clinics are estimated to have psychiatric problems. These patients either are those who have developed dermatologic problems as a consequence of their primary psychiatric disorders or those who have developed psychiatric disorders following their chronic and disfiguring dermatologic problems. The third group are psychophysiologic disorders which may aggravate following psychiatric or emotional stress. Objectives: Our purpose is to stress the significance of the psychodermatologic problems for both dermatologists and psychiatrists; to have an overview and a brief classification of these and discussing the approach to the patients with psychodermatologic disorders. Methods: The dermatologists and psychiatrists’ pitfalls in approaching the psychodermatologic disorders are discussed. Psychodermatologic disorders are classified and their underlying psychopathologies are mentioned. Conclusion: Both dermatologists and psychiatrists should be trained more to manage these relatively frequent patients well; for this purpose establishing the dermatology-psychiatry liaison clinics and or helding the dermatologic-psychiatric conferences are advised.