Abstract:
The relationship between psychological factors and alopecia areata is already a controversial issue. Previous researches have mainly focused on the impact of stressors and occasionally the underlying psychiatric disorders. The relationship of personality with this disease has not been investigated. A group of alopecia areata patients (n=31) was compared with a control group (n=31) of age matched skin infection patients (Fungal, bacterial, viral and parasitic), applying the Iranian short form version of Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Personality tests revealed no differences except a mild neurotic tendency in both alopecia areata and control women. This difference is interpreted to be accounted for by the aesthetic stressor of alopecia and not a primary personality characteristic. There was no significant difference between the groups on severity of depression.
Keywords: Alopecia areata, Personality, Depressio
