PSYCHODERMATOSES AND THE ANXIETY PREVALENCE: LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

This systematic review extensively examined the prevalence of anxiety disorders in patients diagnosed with various psychodermatoses, including psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, acne, alopecia areata, eczema, rosacea, and chronic urticaria. Besides analyzing prevalence, the review also aimed to investigate and assess various existing therapeutic interventions for managing anxiety in these patients, as anxiety not only coexists with these conditions but also appears to play a significant role in modulating the course of the disease, treatment adherence, and patients' quality of life. The review's results demonstrate a significantly higher prevalence of anxiety disorders in these patient groups compared to the general population. Furthermore, evidence suggests that an integrative treatment approach, addressing both the dermatological conditions and anxiety, may be more effective. This approach may include psychosocial therapies, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, and in some cases, anxiolytic medications. However, there is still much to be done in the field of psychodermatology. The review identified several gaps in the existing literature, including the lack of robust longitudinal studies and a scarcity of randomized controlled trials evaluating the effectiveness of specific psychosocial interventions for these patients. Therefore, more studies are needed to elucidate the causal relationship between anxiety and psychodermatoses and to assess the efficacy of specific psychosocial interventions.