Dermatopathophobia (fear of skin diseases): what is it, symptoms, causes and treatment

Fears can govern our lives depending on the places we travel. Sometimes these fears arise at the most unexpected moments due to facts that we do not know. On certain occasions, we can react in different ways depending on the intensity that the situation can generate, as well as the frequency with which we encounter fear.

If we think of hot places, the sun is one of the main factors that must be taken into account to protect our skin and there are people who have an intense and high fear of suffer them. This can have serious consequences that affect interpersonal relationships as well as various daily activities. Having specific data about this problem can help to cope with this type of situation in a more pleasant way. For this reason, in this Psychology-Online article, we will provide you with information about the Dermatopatophobia (fear of skin diseases): what is it, symptoms, causes and treatment.

Index

1. What is dermatopathophobia
2. Symptoms of dermatopathophobia
3. Causes of dermatopathophobia
4. Treatment of dermatopathophobia

Dermatopatophobia is a phobia associated with the irrational and exacerbated fear of suffering injuries or skin diseases. This clinical picture is considered an anxiety disorder based on the characteristics it presents as a pathology.

According to the DSM-V, dermatopatophobia can be included within the group of specific phobias due to the features that can be glimpsed. In this sense, there are a number of diagnostic criteria that allow dermatopathophobia or fear of skin diseases to be delimited so that an adequate diagnosis can be established:

• Intense fear and/or anxiety about a specific object or situation (in this case, it would be skin diseases and injuries).
• The specific object and/or situation almost always produce fear or anxiety.
• Avoidance of the specific object and/or situation.
• The fear or anxiety is out of proportion to the actual danger posed by the situation or object.
• Duration of six months or more.
• Deterioration of work, family and social relationships due to fear or anxiety.
• The symptoms are not explained by the presence of another mental disorder.

This disorder of the anxiety It presents a series of manifestations that appear both physically and at the level of emotions and behaviors of a person suffering from dermatopatophobia. The importance of knowing these data lies in the fact that the problem can be treated in time.

The most important symptoms of dermatopatophobia or fear of skin diseases are the following:

• excessive fear suffer from any type of skin disease.
• Avoidance of contact with elements that can alter the skin (needles, watches, among others).
• Repeated visits to the doctor in order to check the condition of the skin.
• Fear of exposure to solar radiation.
• Muscle tension.
• Excessive sweating.
• dizziness.
• Incrise of cardiac frecuency.
• Nausea.
• Headache.

It is worth mentioning that the presence of any of these symptoms does not necessarily imply that we are facing a picture of dermatopatophobia. The diagnosis must be carried out by a health professional who evaluates the clinical conditions of each patient.

Beyond the symptoms involved in the disorder, it is transcendental to know the origins of this anxiety disorder in order to develop adequate strategies for the problematic. In the following items, we will develop the main associated causes:

Environmental factors

In general, unpleasant experiences lived in the past act as triggers for this problem. It may have happened that the person has suffered skin diseases in which he has suffered the complex consequences that entail.

Likewise, it is possible that some of the members of the family environment have suffered from dermatopatophobia. Thus, theimitation of behaviors plays an important role in the behavior patterns of the person.

Genetic factors

Although not fully proven, it is possible that one of the parents has certain genetic alterations that account for the prevalence of panic responses to certain events and that this has caused the emergence of this fear of skin diseases.

Despite the difficulties that the problem entails, fortunately there are treatments currently available that allow a good prognosis against the diagnosis of dermatopathophobia. Next, we will talk about the main treatments:

psychological therapy

The therapy consists of a space that invites reflection on various life situations that cause problems for the person. On the one hand, there are short-term therapies that work on the emotions, thoughts and behaviors that cause the symptoms of dermatopatophobia.

The objective of this approach is to put together strategies that allow coping with situations of stress and/or anxiety in a more pleasant way. Here we can highlight cognitive behavioral therapy as the most important approach.

On the other hand, long-term therapies They try to locate the origin of fears from the memory of traumatic childhood situations. In this way, the person can develop alternatives that allow them to navigate complex situations. The best known and most effective extensive therapy is psychoanalysis.

psychiatric medication

In cases that represent considerable severity, the supply of anxiolytic drugs produces a decrease in the intensity of the symptoms involved in dermatopatofobia or fear of skin diseases fur. However, psychiatric medication should only be taken under the supervision of a professional of mental health.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Dermatopathophobia (fear of skin diseases): what is it, symptoms, causes and treatment, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.

1. American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.). Arlington: Pan American Medical Publisher.

• Delgado Reyes, A.C., Sánchez López, J.V. (2019). Fear, phobias and their treatments. Electronic Journal of Psychology Iztacala, 22 (2), 798-833.
• Rumbo Prieto, J.M., Castellano Rioja, E. (2017). Psychosomatic dermatology, the mind-skin relationship. Journal of Dermatologic Diseases, 11 (31), 7-10.