Arabic language skin-related stigmatization instruments: Translation and validation process

Contains fulltext : 205447.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: Skin diseases are frequently the reason for social rejection. Therefore, the assessment of stigmatization level in patients suffering from dermatoses plays a crucial role in providing proper health service. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to create and validate Arabic language versions of stigmatization instruments - the 6-item Stigmatization Scale and the Feelings of Stigmatization Questionnaire. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Development of the Arabic language versions was done with international standards of forward-back translations. The validation was performed on 39 psoriatic individuals. The group included 11 females and 28 males. The subjects were asked to fill out both questionnaires: the 6-item Stigmatization Scale and the Feelings of Stigmatization Questionnaire (Arabic language versions) at the time of examination and 7 days after enrollment for reassessment to evaluate test-retest reliability. During the first visit the patients additionally filled out an already existing Arabic version of Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), which was used as a reference questionnaire. RESULTS: The results concerning the integrity of instruments were very good, and the Cronbach's alpha coefficient for both scales was 0.89. The reproducibility level assessed with interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) stood at 0.91 for the 6-item Stigmatization Scale and 0.92 for the Feelings of Stigmatization Questionnaire. There was a strong correlation between total score of the 6-item Stigmatization Scale and DLQI. Significant negative moderate correlation was documented between the Feelings of Stigmatization Questionnaire and DLQI. Moreover, both stigmatization instruments correlated significantly with each other. CONCLUSIONS: The developed Arabic language versions of the abovementioned stigmatization instruments can be successfully used in daily clinical practice as well as in clinical research

COVID-19 and SARS: differences and similarities

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Coronavirus disease 2019: Facts and controversies

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Psychiatric comorbidities in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by painful recurrent inflammatory nodules, leading to the formation of abscesses and scarring. In this article, we aim to review the psychiatric comorbidities in HS patients. It is estimated that one in four adults with HS suffers from depression and one out of five patients HS patients has anxiety. Bipolar disorders, psychoses, schizophrenia, and suicide are more common in HS patients than healthy individuals. Given the high rates of psychiatric comorbidities in HS patients, a psychosocial evaluation at an early visit could be a great tool for monitoring patients experiencing emotional burden. Referrals to psychiatric specialists, psychologists, and behavioral counselors are a part of a multidisciplinary approach recommended for the management of HS. © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC

Somatization in dermatology

Abstract Medically unexplained dermatologic symptoms, such as pruritus, numbness and burning are known as somatization. These cutaneous symptoms can be very difficult to treat because of an absence of an objective explanation and they may not fit neatly into any known dermatological or psychiatric condition. These disorders are more commonly encountered in primary care and in dermatology, rather than in psychiatry. Certain skin disorders, for example, pruritus, could be a manifestation of somatization and others may predispose to somatic symptoms, for example, atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. Although there has been increasing research in the interconnection between psychiatry and dermatology, psychodermatology is a relatively new crossover discipline in clinical practice and recognition of psychodermatological conditions, such as cutaneous somatic disorders, can be difficult. Somatization may occur with or without the existence of a dermatological disease. When a dermatological disorder is present, somatization should be considered when the patient is worrying too much about their skin, spending too much time and energy on it and especially if the patient also complains of many non‐cutaneous symptoms. Purely cutaneous somatic conditions include for example, the genital pain syndromes or Gardner–Diamond syndrome, characterized by unexplained bruising, which usually affects women. Effective management tools may include mindfulness therapies, pharmacotherapy with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants and cognitive conduct therapy. Electroconvulsive therapy can also be considered in extremely rare cases for treatment of severe somatization on a background of mood disorders. This paper discusses somatization, its relationship to immunodermatoses and its relevance to clinical practice