Psychological features in adolescent with medically unexplained cutaneous sensory symptoms: a single case study

Introduction: this single case study aims to consider psychological features as fundamental elements to be assessed in the evaluation of “pseudo” dermatological disorders. Case description: the case illustrates a rare skin disease, which occurs in comorbidity with Somatic Symptom Disorders in a young patient, aged 15. It was administered a battery of tools to investigate the personality profile, Child Attachment Interview (CAI), Separation Anxiety Test (SAT), Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA), Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ-CA), Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC-A), and WISC-IV. Comment: somatization, defined as the “conversion” of psychological conflicts and overwhelming emotions into more acceptable physical symptoms, is encountered among a wide range of syndromes in dermatology. These syndromes include medically unexplained cutaneous sensory symptoms, which represent the sensory component of a traumatic experience, and may be associated to dermatological manifestations. This case was carried out to demonstrate that the psychological side of this clinical condition has been poorly investigated and further evaluations are required. The clinical implications for paediatric care are discussed.