Newswise — Dr. Jeffrey Cohen, Assistant Professor and Director of the Psoriasis Treatment Program at Yale School of Medicine, draws a link between skin diseases like eczema and psoriasis and the risk for a number of mental health disorders, in a series of studies based on a large and diverse population.
Cohen and colleagues find that patients with psoriasis are at greater risk for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), while patients with atopic dermatitis (eczema) are at greater risk for OCD as well as conditions like schizophrenia and alcohol use disorder.
"We’re interested in the overlap between psychiatric disease and inflammatory skin disease," Cohen said. "There may be opportunities for dermatologists to identify the potential for mental health disorders in one of our patients that would then allow us to appropriately refer that person to a mental health professional."
Dr. Cohen is available to discuss the association, the possible role of inflammation, and the importance of awareness for dermatologists and their patients.
RSS