%0 Journal Article
%T Prevalence of Psychological Disorders in Patients with Alopecia Areata in Comparison with Normal Subjects
%A Shahin Aghaei
%A Nasrin Saki
%A Ehsan Daneshmand
%A Bahare Kardeh
%J ISRN Dermatology
%D 2014
%R 10.1155/2014/304370
%X Alopecia areata is a chronic disease with a great impact on the patient¡¯s quality of life. In this study we reviewed the frequency of psychological disorders in patients with alopecia areata in comparison to a control group. We enrolled 40 patients with alopecia areata and a 40-volunteer random age-sex matched control group. The study is based on anxiety and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ). Analytical evaluation was done by Mann-Whitney, Kruskal Wallis, and -tests. There was a significant difference between the case and control group regarding the prevalence of depression ( value = 0.008), anxiety ( value = 0.003), and neuroticism ( value = 0.05). There was no significant differences regarding extraversion ( value = 0.249), psychosis ( value = 0.147), and lying ( value = 0.899) between the two groups. In alopecia areata involving the head, there was a significant relation only between neuroticism ( value = 0.045) and lying ( value = 0.005). The facial involvement had a significant relation with depression ( value = 0.020), anxiety ( value = 0.019), and neuroticism ( value = 0.029). The frequency of psychological disorders in the case group is significantly greater than the control group. 1. Introduction Psychosomatic (psychophysiological) medicine has been considered as a particular field of £¿£¿psychology and psychiatry for over 50 years. The history of this branch of medicine is very closely related with the theory of unity of body and mind. Disorders of mind and body and how these two parts of human beings function together is reflected in ¡°The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM),¡± a criterion for classification of mental disorders [1]. Skin-related mental disorders include a wide range of dermal pathologies which present with psychological signs or stresses. In spite of the evidence on the interactions between nervous, immune, and endocrine systems, which have made the understanding of psychocutaneous diseases easier, further investigations are still required [2]. Skin, as a tangible and visible part of the body, can have a magnificent effect on psychological status which is continuously involved in socialization processes from childhood to adulthood [3, 4]. Alopecia areata is a common chronic disease of skin with sudden onset loss of hair in a clear circular area [5]. The role of psychological factors in extension of alopecia areata has also been discussed. Social and familial problems and uncontrollable events have more influences on these patients than on normal society [6] and
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn.dermatology/2014/304370/