Psychological status of patients with alopecia areata.
Summary of "Psychological status of patients with alopecia areata."
Alopecia areata is not painful or life-threatening, but its aesthetic repercussions can lead to profound changes in patients' psychological status and relationships. The psycho-logical status and personality traits of 73 patients and 73 controls were evaluated with the Minnesota Multi-phasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2). Analysis of the MMPI-2 profile showed that scores for some scales (i.e. Depression, Anxiety, Family relationships) were higher for patients with alopecia areata than for controls. Patients with alopecia appeared to experience more depressive, hysterical and anxiety feelings, have more hypo-chondriac tendencies, and to be more in conflict with their social environment. In order to provide more effective management, the psychological status of patients with alopecia areata should be evaluated in dermatological settings.
Affiliation
Laboratory of Health Services Research, Rome, Italy.
Journal Details
This article was published in the following journal.
Name: Acta dermato-venereologica
ISSN: 1651-2057
Pages: 304-6
Links
- PubMed Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22678566
- DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2340/00015555-1239
Medical and Biotech [MESH] Definitions
Alopecia Areata
A microscopically inflammatory, usually reversible, patchy hair loss occurring in sharply defined areas and usually involving the beard or scalp. (Dorland, 27th ed)
Sickness Impact Profile
A quality-of-life scale developed in the United States in 1972 as a measure of health status or dysfunction generated by a disease. It is a behaviorally based questionnaire for patients and addresses activities such as sleep and rest, mobility, recreation, home management, emotional behavior, social interaction, and the like. It measures the patient's perceived health status and is sensitive enough to detect changes or differences in health status occurring over time or between groups. (From Medical Care, vol.xix, no.8, August 1981, p.787-805)
Reality Therapy
Method of psychotherapeutic treatment based on assumption of patients' personal responsibility for their own behavior. The therapist actively guides patients to accurate self-perception for fulfillment of needs of self-worth and respect for others. (From APA, Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms, 8th ed.)
Social Dominance
Social structure of a group as it relates to the relative social rank of dominance status of its members. (APA, Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms, 8th ed.)
Status Epilepticus
A prolonged seizure or seizures repeated frequently enough to prevent recovery between episodes occurring over a period of 20-30 minutes. The most common subtype is generalized tonic-clonic status epilepticus, a potentially fatal condition associated with neuronal injury and respiratory and metabolic dysfunction. Nonconvulsive forms include petit mal status and complex partial status, which may manifest as behavioral disturbances. Simple partial status epilepticus consists of persistent motor, sensory, or autonomic seizures that do not impair cognition (see also EPILEPSIA PARTIALIS CONTINUA). Subclinical status epilepticus generally refers to seizures occurring in an unresponsive or comatose individual in the absence of overt signs of seizure activity. (From N Engl J Med 1998 Apr 2;338(14):970-6; Neurologia 1997 Dec;12 Suppl 6:25-30)
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