Typological features of fixed attitudes in patients with psoriasis

Tbilisi State Medical University, Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Department of Psychiatry and Narcology

Tblisi

Tsiskarishvili N. V.
Beria Z. V.
Tsiskarishvili N. I.

The role of stress in the pathogenesis of psoriasis is not in doubt. It is known that in most cases, psoriasis manifests itself as a result of acute stress or chronic nervous overstrain (Schepitovski J., Reich A, 2007). This is confirmed by our observation on 45 patients, 75% of which have indicated the probable cause of the disease and 25 of them - the psychological trauma. Dermatosis in these patients appeared after 2-3 weeks or several months after the stress. It is generally accepted that the processing of stressful for personality factors, as well as the formation of specific behavioral traits are largely dependent on the specific mechanisms of psychological adaptation. Thus, there can be a triad: Stress - mechanisms of adaptation - a complex of behavior in which the middle part i.e. the mechanisms of psychological adaptation are leading. Psychological mechanisms of organism's response to stress mediate the formation of behavioral complex. The aim of this study was to identify predisposing to psoriasis-specific behavioral complex, which may be a risk factor in the pathogenesis of dermatosis. Under observation were of 18 to 55 years old 45 patients (25 males and 20 females) with various clinical variants of psoriasis, with duration of disease from several months to 15 years. In all patients the disease was preceded by psychological trauma, at that in 30 - it was a sudden and strong neuropsychic shake (death or serious illness of loved ones, sharp domestic or business conflicts). To study the basic psycho-adaptive mechanisms and personality traits of patients with psoriasis we used the method of Fixed Attitude according to D. Uznadze and Eysenck Questionnaire (20 healthy individuals were included in the control group). The results of our psychological studies have shown that among healthy persons clearly dominates the dynamic type of attitude (DA), which is the most favorable type of psychological adjustment, ensuring adequate adaptation to the environment. In the group of patients with psoriasis most common, primary psycho-adaptive feature is the variable type of attitude (VA). If the control group was dominated by individuals with a stable attitude, among the psoriatic patients statistically significant dominance of lability was revealed. Common for patients with psoriasis is increased level of neuroticism, and the prevalence of ambiversion and intraversion. The clinical course of dermatosis imposes the certain mark on the distribution of some psychological parameters that practically does not affect the basic types of attitude. Our studies allow to conclude that the risk factors for the development of dermatosis are variable type of attitude and high neuroticism.