Treatment outcome and incidence of psychiatric disorders in dermatological out-patients.
OBJECTIVE
Epidemiological studies have shown that the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among dermatological patients is high. We aimed at estimating the short-term incidence of psychiatric disorders among patients with skin disease.


METHODS
The 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) was used to identify subjects free from psychiatric morbidity at their first dermatological visit. The GHQ-12 was administered again after 1 month during a computer-assisted telephone interview.


RESULTS
A total of 277 subjects was included in the study. At the follow-up interview, 21 (7.6%) were found to have significant psychiatric morbidity. Only lack of improvement was associated with increased incidence of psychiatric morbidity (13.6%), with an odds ratio of 3.1 (95% confidence interval 1.2-7.8), after adjustment for gender, age, educational level and clinical severity.


CONCLUSIONS
Physicians should devote special attention to the risk of psychiatric complications in patients who have not improved with treatment.
Picardi
A
A
Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Dermatological Institute IDI-IRCCS, Via dei Monti di Creta, 104-00167 Rome, Italy. a.picardi@idi.it
Abeni
D
D
Renzi
C
C
Braga
M
M
Melchi
C F
CF
Pasquini
P
P
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome