Primary psychiatric conditions: dermatitis artefacta, trichotillomania and neurotic excoriations

Factitious Disorder as a Skin Ulcer: A Case Report

Dermatitis artefacta (factitious dermatitis) is a dermatological disease of different types; it could appear on various parts of the body. It is associated with severe difficulties, such as psychic distress and negative feelings aroused in healthcare personnel or borderline personality disorder, and the long-term possibility of patient self-harm to create more symptoms, resulting in unnecessary medical procedures. This is a case of a 17-year-old girl who was hospitalized with a skin ulcer on her right ankle that proved to be a factitious disorder. She was experiencing severe symptoms of anxiety, such as feeling nervous, having trouble sleeping and concentrating, and an inability to control worry due to her preparation for university studies. She refused to see a mental health professional since the onset of anxiety symptoms, i.e., the last four months. Patients who present with factitious disorder deliberately create clinical signs of a somatic disease because they need warmth and attention in a medical environment. Symptoms offer no significant benefit, and the pathophysiological mechanisms are mainly psychological. The primary treatment for factitious disorder is psychotherapy while the management of the ulcer requires dermatosurgical treatment.

Dermatitis artefacta: A diagnostic dilemma

Dermatitis artefacta (DA) is a rare psychological disorder in which patients self-inflict cutaneous lesions to satisfy an emotional need. Here, we describe a case of DA initially misdiagnosed as pemphigus. This case represents the importance of the timely recognition and treatment of DA to prevent its progression like in our case scarring alopecia.

Psychopathological symptoms in dermatology: A basic approach toward psychocutaneous disorders

Dermatological conditions impact not only an individual's physical body but also their psychological health. Similar to how cutaneous conditions can affect one's psychological health, worsening psychological conditions can exacerbate or even induce dermatological conditions. There are four common psychiatric pathologies typically found in dermatology practices: depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, obsessive-compulsive disorder behaviors, and psychosis. Common cutaneous disorders associated with these psychopathological symptoms include, but are not limited to, psoriasis, acne vulgaris, atopic dermatitis, urticaria, trichotillomania, excoriation disorder, and delusions of parasitosis. The goal of this review is to examine the relationship between these four psychopathological symptoms with common psychodermatological conditions and to help providers better diagnose and implement appropriate psychological support to treat their patients.

Dermatitis artefacta mimicking cutaneous vasculitis: case report and literature overview

A 31-year-old Caucasian woman with a history of anxiety disorder presented with chronic ulcerative lesions of the skin in arms and legs, treated initially as cutaneous vasculitis, evolving with relapsing during corticosteroid tapering, was diagnosed, after thorough investigation and no organic disease found, with dermatitis artefacta – a self-inflicted harm due to psychological disorders. Dermatitis artefacta is a rare condition, more frequent in women, in which traumatic skin lesions are caused by the patient him/herself, over accessible parts of the body, due to personality disorders. Clinicians should be aware of this alternative aetiology, especially as a differential diagnosis for refractory cutaneous vasculitis.

Clinical Conditions that Masquerade as Urticaria

Chronic urticaria is one of the most commonly diagnosed dermatoses. Following diagnosis, correct identification and proper treatment significantly reduces disease activity, thereby improving the patient’s quality of life. However, there is an extensive differential diagnosis for chronic urticaria that, if missed, can lead to life-threatening sequelae. Many of the diseases that masquerade as urticaria are rare and often have a significant delay in diagnosis. This paper aims to fill the gap in the literature by clearly characterising the cutaneous eruptions and atypical findings in many of the most common mimickers of chronic urticaria. Conditions such as erythema marginatum seen in conjunction with hereditary angioedema, urticaria vasculitis, autoinflammatory cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes, adult-onset Still’s disease and systemic onset juvenile arthritis, Schnitzler syndrome, erythema multiforme, and cutaneous mastocytosis will be discussed.

[Self-inflicted lesions in the context of hidradenitis suppurativa: Pathomimicry]

BACKGROUND

Factitious disorders constitute a complex pathology for the dermatologist. Although a diagnosis is often indicated, it is difficult to confirm and treatment is complicated. Dermatitis artefacta is the somatic expression of an often serious psychiatric disorder consciously created by patients on their own cutaneous-mucosal surfaces but the motivation is unconscious and no secondary benefits are sought (in contrast to simulation). Pathomimicry represent a specific entity: the provocation of outbreaks of a known disease, triggered by voluntary exposure to a causative agent. Herein we report on a case of pathomimicry in a context of hidradenitis suppurativa.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A teenage girl whose main previous medical history consisted of grade-2 obesity and an episode of pubic abscess was seen at our clinic for axillary lesions. She presented in a state of negligence, was suspicious and aggressive, and refused to undress. After gaining her trust, clinical examination revealed prominent ulcerations (each with a granulated base) at a distance from the folds in the axillary areas, as well as typical hidradenitis lesions of Hurley Grade 2 with purulent openings and rope-like scars from the inguinal folds. Hospitalization was recommended and a positive outcome was achieved under antibiotic therapy with doxycycline, topical alginate and hydrocellular dressings. A psychiatric evaluation concluded that the patient was presenting dysmorphophobic narcissistic weakness, probably in reaction to recurrent harassment at school since childhood. Once she developed trust with us, which was difficult to establish, the patient admitted to having caused the lesions herself. Given the history and clinical data, as well as the negative laboratory tests, a diagnosis of pathomimicry was made.

DISCUSSION

Several cases of dermatological pathomimicry (sustainment by the patient of an ulcer with a known cause, contact with an allergen found in eczema, or renewed use of a medication implicated in toxiderma) or systemic disease (insulin injection in a diabetic patient) have been reported. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first description of pathomimicry associated with hidradenitis suppurativa. Regarding therapy, aftercare should be multidisciplinary. Confessions should not be forced and confrontations, which risk serious psychiatric collapse, should be avoided. A reassuring attitude enables psychiatry to be applied once trust has been sustainably established, hence the crucial role of the dermatologist.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder in dermatology

Patients with obsessive-compulsive (OCD) and related disorders - primarily trichotillomania, body dysmorphic disorder, and skin picking disorder - frequently present to dermatologists due to associated hair and skin symptoms. It is therefore crucial that dermatologists be familiar with these disorders. In this review article, we provide an update on clinical features, neurobiology factors, and treatment options for OCD spectrum disorders. Employing PubMed and Cochrane Library databases, a selective literature search was conducted using keywords related to dermatological disorders within the OCD spectrum. OCD and its related disorders share several phenomenological as well as pathophysiological similarities, thus warranting their classification within a separate nosological category of psychiatric disorders. Another similarity of OCD spectrum disorders is the frequent concurrence of hair and skin diseases. Besides symptomatic dermatological treatment, the combination of psychotherapy (behavioral therapy) and psychopharmacotherapy (SSRIs) may be helpful. Although recent insights into OCD have contributed to a better understanding and treatment thereof, more research is required, especially with respect to OCD spectrum disorders, for which large controlled treatment studies are still lacking.

The reconstructive challenges and approach to patients with excoriation disorder

Many mental and emotional disorders have some variations of physical manifestations that are often the first definitive sign of disease. One such disorder is excoriation (skin-picking) disorder, also known as dermatillomania, acne excoriée, neurotic excoriation, or psychogenic excoriation. First identified in the dermatologic literature in 1920, excoriation disorder involves repetitive scratching behavior that sometimes accompanies pruritus and is often associated with depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. In the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fifth edition, excoriation or skin-picking disorder is listed as a stand-alone disorder associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder. In certain patients, the skin lesions are shallow and have adherent crusts that can be mistaken for acne. These lesions, once healed, may appear white and partially atrophic. Because these patients often initially present to dermatologists or plastic surgeons for their skin conditions rather than to psychiatric professionals, it is important to recognize the salient diagnostic features and to acknowledge the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to patient care and management. We present a case of a 51-year-old woman with excoriation disorder who required medical management by dermatology, neurosurgery, psychiatry, and plastic surgery for a definitive surgical treatment.

[Unilateral bullous and purpuric lesions: skin pathomimicry]

La pathomimie cutanée est une forme particulière de troubles factices relativement rare, et constitue l'un des problèmes les plus complexes pour le dermatologue. Nous rapportons un cas de pathomimie révélée par des lésions cutanées unilatérales, mimant une brûlure. Une jeune femme de 27 ans, était suivie depuis 4 ans pour une dépression. Elle a présenté 15j avant sa 1^ère hospitalisation un placard inflammatoire du sein gauche compliqué de lésions bulleuses et d’érosions superficielles. La biopsie cutanée avait montré une dermite non spécifique. Une cicatrisation rapide sous traitement local a été notée. Elle a présenté 10 jours plus tard de nouvelles lésions similaires étagées au membre inférieur gauche, évoluant vers le décollement bulleux spontané. La biopsie cutanée avait montré un décollement bulleux jonctionnel et des foyers de nécrose ischémique. L'IFD était négative. Devant les données anamnestiques, cliniques, la négativité du bilan paraclinique, et la guérison des lésions sous pansements occlusifs seuls, le diagnostic de pathomimie a été évoqué et retenu. La patiente a été adressée en psychiatrie où une thérapie cognitivo-comportementale a été préconisée. Notre observation correspond à un tableau de pathomimie de présentation clinique particulière par sa localisation unilatérale et son caractère bulleux. Chez notre patiente qui est droitière, la localisation unilatérale gauche sur des zones accessibles, l'absence de lésions spécifiques à l'examen histologique, la cicatrisation rapide des lésions sous traitement local occlusif seul et leur récurrence malgré des soins adaptés étaient en faveur d'une pathologie factice. Néanmoins, la localisation au niveau des seins peut être très déroutante. Le caractère bulleux des lésions dans le cadre d'une pathomimie a été rarement rapporté. Dans notre cas, la pathomimie s'associe à des troubles anxieux et dépressifs très importants. Leur prise en charge demande un investissement pluridisciplinaire le plus précoce possible. La prise en charge des pathomimies est complexe. Le traitement médical associé à une prise en charge psychologique de type thérapie cognitivo-comportementale, qui est une première expérience, peut aider cette patiente à contrôler son comportement et éviter les récidives qui sont fréquentes dans ce type de pathologie.

Dermatological manifestations of stress in normal and psychiatric populations

This article explores the way stress affects the skin, both at the molecular level, where the skin has an intricate connection to the neurocutaneous and immune systems, and at the clinical level. The concept of psychodermatology is reviewed with regard to the way skin reacts to stress, how stress is a trigger for several common skin diseases, and how neuropsychiatric disorders may have skin manifestations. The article is directed at making the dermatologist, the psychiatrist, the psychologist, and the primary physician familiar with the brain-skin mechanisms involved in stress and the resultant clinical expressions on the skin.

Familial trichotillomania in three generations

Trichotillomania (TTM) is a type of impulse control disorder, characterized by recurrent pulling of hair. The etiology of TTM is complex, but a genetic contribution to this condition was advocated based on a limited number of reports on familial TTM. We report a 13-year-old male with history of focal hair loss in the scalp. Examination showed a patchy area of hair loss, with several short broken hairs of varying lengths. Dermoscopy and pathology examinations were consistent with TTM. Upon further questioning, his father admitted repeated pulling of his beard. The paternal grandfather also suffers from severe hair pulling of his beard since puberty. To our knowledge, this is the first report of TTM in a 3 generation family. This report strengthens the possibility that TTM is a genetic disease, probably with a complex inheritance pattern. It also highlights the importance of appropriate family history taking when examining a TTM patient.

Augmentation of Venlafaxine with Aripiprazole in a Case of Treatment-resistant Excoriation Disorder

We present a case of a 21-year-old woman with excoriation disorder that was resistant to currently reported treatment options. Severe lesions were present on multiple sites of her body. The skin picking appeared to be associated with anxiety surrounding her current medical stay and medical condition. The addition of aripiprazole to the venlafaxine she was already taking resulted in resolution of her unconscious picking. This medication combination may be considered by clinicians in the future for treatment-resistant excoriation disorder as its side effect profile is favorable for patients who have failed first-line treatment options. Large-scale studies investigating the use of second generation antipsychotics combined with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors/serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors for the treatment of excoriation disorder is recommended.