There are a variety of skin problems and in recent years, mental health professionals have started to discover the relationship between skin disorders and mental health problems. The informal name for this new explored thing is psychodermatology. It has been observed in some cases that mental disorders produce harmful effects on the skin including children. In some other cases, skin disorders have been seen with a significant connection with psychological things. Mental health treatment could be a boon in such cases.
Skin Conditions Connected with Mental Health
Common skin problems are:
- Dermatitis & other itch-related conditions
- Acne
- Rashes
- Psoriasis and other conditions that causes unusual skin scaling
- Ringworm
- Fungal infections
- Other disorders characterised by swelling or uncommon skin sensitivity
There are other well-known skin-related problems and these are:
- Cellulitis and other bacterial infections
- Scabies and other parasitic infections
- Vitiligo and other disorders related to pigmentation
- Moles and other non-cancerous growths
- Various forms of skin cancer
You may be surprised to know that some other problems including nail disorders, sweat gland disorders, and hair follicle disorders are also included in the category of general skin disorders by doctors.
Below are the skin problems that are interconnected to mental health:
-
Acne
-
Psoriasis
-
Atopic dermatitis
-
Herpes simplex
-
Seborrhea (seborrheic dermatitis)
-
Pruritus, an itching disorder
-
Hyperhidrosis, a form of excessive sweating
-
Hives or urticaria
Mental disorders appears as skin problems
There are many mental disorders that appear as skin disruption symptoms. Some well know disorders are:
- Anorexia nervosa
- Bulimia nervosa
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Dysmorphic disorder, an OCD-associated condition
- Specific phobias related to many types of anxiety-related states
- Excoriation (skin-picking) disorder, an OCD-related condition
- Trichotillomania, an OCD-related hair-pulling disorder
- Psychogenic purpura, a lesion-producing condition
- Delusions of parasitosis, a psychotic illness
- Dermatitis artefacta, a form of self-injury
Reason for connection between skin problems and mental health
Changes in the immune system functioning is the linking point between skin disorders and mental health disorders. When your body is experiencing unusual stress, there is a significant change in the functioning of the nervous system as well as an imbalanced release of the hormones and neurotransmitters that are under the control of our nervous system. This subsequently impacts your immune system and skin health.
The surprising thing is, some individuals impacted by mental problems do not develop skin issues as a direct result of those mental problems. Instead, they show skin issues as a result of consuming some medicine meant to relieve them from the effects of their mental problems. The common medicine that can result in skin problems belongs to classes of antidepressants, sedative medicines called barbiturates, antipsychotic drugs, the bipolar disorder medicine called lithium, and anti-seizure medications. But, it is not well known that medicines used to treat skin problems have an impact on mental health or not. Research is on the way to find the answer to many questions.
So, the things discussed in this blog are fairly new and require an experienced group of doctors to make any diagnosis. Only a professional and experienced group will be able to design proper mental health treatment for the ones who are going through this connection. Health Kinesiology Natural Bioenergetics can help individuals who struggle with mental health and skin problems by reducing the stress levels and balancing out the hormone levels. This gentle treatment can be used alongside any medication and has virtually no side effects. By addressing the underlying stress in imbalances health kinesiology can help with skin problems and reduce the need for atopic treatments like steroids.