Psychosomatic dermatitis: symptoms and treatment

By Cristiano Antonino On Apr 6, 2023

Dermatitis is a condition that affects the skin and usually consists of an inflammatory reaction that manifests itself in the form of irritation

Dermatitis may or may not be contagious in nature (if not, it is also referred to as eczema)

The causes can be very varied and diverse and, according to them, dermatitis takes on a different nature and, consequently, requires different types of treatment

microbial (bacterial, viral, fungal, protozoal)
physical (such as that resulting from burns)
chemical (caused by external substances, such as detergents or thinners)
parasitic (caused by specific parasites)

Dermatitis can also be the result of a state of suffering within the body, thus having causes

allergic
autoimmune

In the latter case, it can be a sort of defence reaction of the organism against particular endogenous processes that can cause suffering to the organism itself (for example, high stress situations can cause a similar reaction and give rise to, or exacerbate when already present, a form of dermatitis, particularly the form known as psoriasis).

We therefore speak of a psychosomatic form when there is no recognised organic cause for it.

Often, therefore, dermatitis tends to be exacerbated in stressful situations: many studies confirm that so-called ‘stress hormones’ (such as cortisol) have the power to further stimulate the immune response to irritation.

If one suffers from the psychosomatic form, it is necessary to indirectly intervene on it by reducing the aforementioned stress triggers.

It may be wise to use the symptoms as an alarm bell, warning us that our organism is emotionally in distress, so that we can intervene, preferably with the support of a psychotherapist, in order to reduce the psychophysical discomfort.

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