Estudio de la patología psiquiátrica en pacientes que acuden a la consulta dermatológica

Resumo

Background: Psychodermatology is a collaborative field involving an interaction between psychiatry and dermatology. It deals with the study of the influence of psychosocial stress on the exacerbation or chronicity of skin diseases and also with the analysis of existing psychiatric comorbidity in numerous skin diseases as well as the role of adjuvant treatment that could be psychopharmacological, psychotherapeutic, or social. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 300 patients treated in an outpatient clinic at the Dermatology Department, University Hospital Complex of Vigo, from April 2010 until June2011. To measure the quality of life of patients, we used the Skindex-29 questionnaire, created specifically to assess the impact of skin disorders on the quality of life. Emotional disorders were measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale, the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28), and Beck Depression Inventory. We also collected the patients¿ demographic and clinical data. Results: The overall prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in dermatology patients was 39.7% in response to the GHQ-28 and 34.4% on the HAD scale. The levels of anxiety were found to be higher than those of depression in the patients studied. Conclusions: Psychiatric morbidity was high in patients presenting to the dermatologist, thus our results are consistent with the results of other studies conducted in the European countries. These data highlight the importance of considering emotional factors in order to optimize clinical practice for patients requiring dermatology consultation.