Psychiatric morbidity in pemphigus and psoriasis: A comparative study from India

AimThis study was designed to examine the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity and its psychosocial and psychopathological correlates in patients with pemphigus in comparison to those with psoriasis.Materials and methodsPatients with pemphigus (n = 50), group matched for demography, with those with psoriasis (n = 30), and healthy controls (n = 30), were subjected to cross-sectional assessment for duration, severity, and impact of dermatological disorder, attitude to appearance, social support, coping strategies, disability, quality of life, and psychiatric morbidity and diagnosis.ResultsThe pemphigus group recorded the psychiatric morbidity rates at 40% by GHQ-12 and 26% by ICD-10; the ICD-10 diagnoses included adjustment disorder (16%), depressive episode (8%), and acute and transient psychosis (2%). This comorbidity was not very different from that of the psoriasis group at 46.7% by GHQ-12 and 36.7% by ICD-10; the ICD-10 diagnoses including adjustment disorder (13.3%), depressive episode (10.0%), alcohol dependence (6.6%), paranoid schizophrenia (3.3%), and delusional disorder plus severe depressive episode with psychotic symptoms (3.3%). The pemphigus group scored higher on disability, despite the dermatological severity and psychosocial profile being similar. Dermatological severity, psychopathology, and certain psychosocial variables were correlated in the pemphigus group, as also in the psoriasis group.ConclusionsThe high psychiatric and psychosocial morbidity in pemphigus and other chronic and severe dermatologic disorders indicates a need for more studies on the psychosocial aspect of these disorders and for sensitization by the dealing physicians with this aspect.

► We studied psychiatric morbidity and its psychosocial correlates in patients with pemphigus and psoriasis.
► Both groups were subjected to cross-sectional assessment.
► High and comparable psychiatric and psychosocial morbidity were noted in both the groups.
► Our findings indicate a need for more studies on psychosocial aspect of pemphigus.