Anyone who notices additional or worsening symptoms after starting a new treatment may also wish to speak to a doctor to modify their treatment. People with skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema may notice symptoms flare up during periods of high stress or anxiety. Anxiety disorders themselves may also cause itchiness. Treatment for both skin conditions and anxiety disorders can help break the cycle, making symptoms more manageable and improving quality of life.
Itchy skin can result from various conditions, including allergies and eczema. Here, learn about some causes and treatment options, including home…. Most people associate itchy skin with a rash, but many factors can cause itchy skin without creating a visible rash or skin changes. In this article…. Learn about the symptoms, causes, and treatment options….
Anxiety is a common condition that impacts a person's mental health, and it can also have short- and long-term effects on the body. Anxiety can change…. What to know about anxiety and itching. Medically reviewed by Debra Sullivan, Ph.
Can anxiety cause itching? Can itching cause anxiety? Diagnosis Treatment Other causes of itching Seeing a doctor Summary Although people tend to think of anxiety as a mental health issue, it can also have physical effects on the body.
Share on Pinterest Anxiety can cause a number of physical sensations. Other issues and itching. When to see a doctor. Exposure to air pollutants may amplify risk for depression in healthy individuals. Costs associated with obesity may account for 3. Related Coverage. Why is my skin itchy? Medically reviewed by University of Illinois. What can cause itchy skin without a rash? Medically reviewed by Owen Kramer, MD. What to know about generalized anxiety disorder.
Joint consultation by a psychiatrist and a dermatologist. Consoli, S. Koblenzer, C. Psychosomatic concepts in dermatology. Darsow, U. Processing of histamine-induced itch in the human cerebral cortex: a correlation analysis with dermal reactions.
Drzezga, A. Central activation by histamine-induced itch: analogies to pain processing: a correlational analysis of O H2O positron emission tomography studies. Pain 92 , — Mochizuki, H. Imaging of central itch modulation in the human brain using positron emission tomography. Pain , — Walter, B.
Brain activation by histamine prick test-induced itch. Savin, J. How should we define itching? Paus, R. Frontiers in pruritus research: scratching the brain for more effective itch therapy. Prevalence and predictors of psychosocial morbidity in patients with chronic pruritic skin. PubMed Google Scholar. Niemeier, V. Observations during an itch-inducing lecture.
Krishnan, A. Psyche, opioids, and itch: therapeutic consequences. Arnold, L. Psychogenic excoriation. Clinical features, proposed diagnostic criteria, epidemiology and approaches to treatment. CNS Drugs 15 , — Ikoma, A. The neurobiology of itch. Chronic itch and pain--similarities and differences. Pain 10 , — Lancet , — Schut, C.
Contagious itch: what we know and what we would like to know. Front Hum. Cortico-subcortical activation patterns for itch and pain imagery. Neuroimaging of itch as a tool of assessment of chronic itch and its management.
Papoiu, A. Anzieu, D. Le Moi-peau Bordas, Paris, Coping as mediator of the relationship between stress and itch in patients with atopic dermatitis: a regression- and mediation analysis. Grandgeorge, M. Mediators of the relationship between stress and itch. Prevalence and predictors of psychosocial morbidity in patients with chronic pruritic skin diseases. Schneider, G. Psychosomatic cofactors and psychiatric comorbidity in patients with chronic itch.
Atopic dermatitis: impact on the quality of life of patients and their partners. Dermatology , — The announcement of bad news in dermatology. Szepietowski, J. Psychogenic itch management. Shaw, R. Psychiatric medications for the treatment of pruritus. Download references. You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar. Correspondence to Laurent Misery. Publisher's note: Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Reprints and Permissions. Psychogenic itch. Transl Psychiatry 8, 52 Download citation. Received : 27 July Revised : 06 October Accepted : 01 November Published : 01 March Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:. Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative.
Journal of Medical Case Reports Advanced search. Skip to main content Thank you for visiting nature. Download PDF. Subjects Depression Pathogenesis. Introduction Psychogenic itch is a diagnosis that is too frequently proposed by physicians, but patients diagnosed with psychogenic itch are too rarely referred to psychiatrists.
What is itch? The burden of itch Like pain, nausea or asphyxiation, itch can cause major suffering. The frequency of psychogenic itch Psychiatrists commonly consider psychogenic itch a very rare condition because these patients usually prefer to consult dermatologists and avoid psychiatrists, as they initially associate the sensation with the skin rather than with a psychological suffering.
Definition At the individual level, patients need an adequate diagnosis. Table 1 Diagnostic criteria for functional itch disorder or psychogenic pruritus from the French Psychodermatology Group previously published in Acta Derm. Differential diagnosis In some patients, authentic somatic pruritus can be associated with psychogenic pruritus or can be aggravated by psychological factors that cannot be identified upon initial visit. Physiopathology As reported above, the brain is a crucial organ for itch: the perception of itch is obviously not possible without the brain, and itch can sometimes originate in the brain in patients with disorders of the central nervous system 6 and those with psychological disorders.
Psychopathology Personality characteristics and depression could be identified as predictors of experimentally induced itch.
Consequences of psychogenic itch Skin lesions In some patients, there is no scratching; however, usually psychogenic itch is accompanied by scratching, of which patients are more or less aware. Scratching lesions induced by psychogenic itch. Full size image. Management Announcement of diagnosis The announcement of a diagnosis of psychogenic pruritus to a patient is not easy or anecdotal and should be made cautiously Pharmacological treatment There has been no clinical trial of treatments for psychogenic itch 57 , and the course of the disease is poorly known.
Psychological approach Any psychological intervention implies that the symptom is accepted as real and distressing for the patient Conclusions Although psychological factors can modulate itch in all patients, the specific diagnosis of psychogenic itch must be proposed cautiously. References 1. Article Google Scholar 3. Article Google Scholar 6.
Article Google Scholar 7. Article Google Scholar 8. Article Google Scholar Google Scholar PubMed Google Scholar Article Google Scholar Download references. Consoli Authors Laurent Misery View author publications.
View author publications. Ethics declarations Conflict of interest L. Additional information Publisher's note: Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. About this article. You can experience this sensation anywhere on your skin, including your arms, legs, face, and scalp.
You might feel it only intermittently or it could be quite persistent. The itch can happen at the same time as symptoms of anxiety or it can occur separately. Even if the cause of your itching is anxiety, serious skin problems can develop if you scratch too much or too vigorously. This can leave you with irritated, broken, or bleeding skin. It can also lead to infection.
On the other hand, the skin condition and relentless itching may have come first, prompting the anxiety. You may indeed have two unrelated problems — anxiety plus an itch caused by something else entirely. Depending on your specific symptoms, your doctor may want to investigate some other causes of itchy skin , such as:. Most of these conditions can be identified upon physical examination. Itchy skin can also be a symptom of less visible conditions such as:. Treatment depends on the specific causes of anxiety and itching.
No matter the cause, unrelenting itching can have a negative impact on your overall quality of life. Aside from your primary care physician, you might benefit from seeing a specialist or perhaps two. A mental health professional can help you learn to manage anxiety, which can alleviate that aggravating itch.
Psychologists can also help with dermatological problems related to anxiety. This field is called psychodermatology. Here are some things you can do on your own to help relieve itching :. Here are a few things you can try:. A therapist can provide behavior modification therapy and other strategies to lessen anxiety. Anxiety and itching are both things that can come and go. If anxiety and itching are interfering with your ability to function or causing visible skin damage or infection, see your primary care doctor as soon as possible.
If necessary, you can get a referral to the appropriate specialist.
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