title: Psycho-cutaneous disorders: an epidemiologic study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Psycho-dermatology addresses the interaction between mind and the skin. Effective management of at least one third of the patients attending the skin department depends, to some extent, upon the recognition of emotional and psychologic factors. The aim of this study was to provide epidemiologic data about common psycho-dermatoses and their prevalence in dermatologic patients in Iran.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients suspicious to have psychocutaneous problem with primary dermatologic chief complaint were included. After detailed dermatologic evaluation, all patients were visited by an expert psychologist to determine prevalence of DSM-IV disorders in each psychocutaneous category including delusion of parasitosis, trichotillomania, dermatitis artefacta and neurotic excoriation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 178 patients including 78 (43.8%) males and 100 (56.2%) females entered the study. The commonest psychocutaneous disorder was neurotic excoriation followed by trichotillomania, delusion of parasitosis and dermatitis artefacta. Mood disorder was the commonest DSM-IV disorder in our patients, then anxiety disorder and drug-induced symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  According to our results, it seems that all psychocutaneous disorders but delusion of parasitosis are commoner in females. Mood and anxiety disorders were common in patients with dermatitis artefacta, as patients with neurotic excoriation. In trichotillomania, obsessive compulsive disorder was the commonest disorder. Drug abuse is a major background of delusional parasitosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Razi Hospital, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Ehsani
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Toosi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mirshams Shahshahani
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arbabi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Noormohammadpour
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003702:Delusions / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D003872:Dermatitis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012876:Skin Diseases, Parasitic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D014256:Trichotillomania / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult