Comparison of the Frequency of Personality Disorders in Patients Diagnosed with Alopecia Areata and the Normal Population

Document Type : Original Article (s)

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Skin and Stem Cell Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences AND Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

3 Skin Diseases and Leishmaniasis Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan AND Resident, Department of Dermatology, Rasoul Akram Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

4 General Practitioner, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Background: Alopecia areata is a recurrent inflammatory disorder causes non-scarring hair loss. The condition most commonly presents with discrete patches of alopecia on the scalp but can include total loss of scalp or body hair. While occurring in men and women of all ages and races, onset most frequently occurs in young people. Psychosomatic changes caused by this disease can lead to psychological long-term problems such as anxiety and depression. Personality disorders can alter clinical presentation of the disease. This study sought to determine the correlation of personality disorders with the occurrence of alopecia areata.Methods: A case-control study was conducted in 84 patients divided in two groups of patients diagnosed with alopecia areata and the normal population. The demographic information of both groups was gathered with a questionnaire and the personality disorder was evaluated with the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III).Findings: Patients with alopecia areata tended to have statistically more personality disorders compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Personality disorders among women were more common compared with men (0.27 vs. 0.05). The difference was significant in women compared with control group (P < 0.05), but was not statistically significant between the two groups of men (P > 0.05).Conclusion: Based on the significant role of adolescence in society and the correlation between personality disorder and alopecia areata, we recommend psychiatric counseling, clinical evaluation, psychological diagnosis and treatment along with the other treatments.

Keywords

References

  1. MacDonald Hull SP, Wood ML, Hutchinson PE, Sladden M, Messenger AG. Guidelines for the management of alopecia areata. Br J Dermatol 2003; 149(4): 692-9.
  2. Safavi KH, Muller SA, Suman VJ, Moshell AN, Melton LJ, III. Incidence of alopecia areata in Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1975 through 1989. Mayo Clin Proc 1995; 70(7): 628-33.
  3. Madani S, Shapiro J. Alopecia areata update. J Am Acad Dermatol 2000; 42(4): 549-66.
  4. Delamere FM, Sladden MM, Dobbins HM, Leonardi-Bee J. Interventions for alopecia areata. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2008; (2): CD004413.
  5. Ruiz-Doblado S, Carrizosa A, Garcia-Hernandez MJ. Alopecia areata: psychiatric comorbidity and adjustment to illness. Int J Dermatol 2003; 42(6): 434-7.
  6. Colon EA, Popkin MK, Callies AL, Dessert NJ, Hordinsky MK. Lifetime prevalence of psychiatric disorders in patients with alopecia areata. Compr Psychiatry 1991; 32(3): 245-51.
  7. Garcia-Hernandez MJ, Ruiz-Doblado S, Rodriguez-Pichardo A, Camacho F. Alopecia areata, stress and psychiatric disorders: a review. J Dermatol 1999; 26(10): 625-32.
  8. Alfani S, Antinone V, Mozzetta A, di Pietro C, Mazzanti C, Stella P, et al. Psychological status of patients with alopecia areata. Acta Derm Venereol 2012; 92(3): 304-6.
  9. Firooz AR, Rashighi Firoozabadi M, Ghazisaidi B, Dowlati Y. Concepts of patients with alopecia areata about their disease. BMC Dermatology 2005; 5: 1.
  10. Millon T. Millon clinical multiaxial inventory manual. 3rd ed. New York, NY: National Computer Systems, Incorporated, 1983.
  11. Khajeh-Mooghahi N. Preliminary preparation of Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-II in Tehran city. [MSc Thesis]. Tehran, Iran: Tehran Psychiatry Institute; 1993.
  12. Sharifi AA. Normalization of Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III in Isfahan city. [MSc Thesis]. Isfahan, Iran: University of Isfahan; 2002.
  13. Koo JY, Shellow WV, Hallman CP, Edwards JE. Alopecia areata and increased prevalence of psychiatric disorders. Int J Dermatol 1994; 33(12): 849-50.
  14. Chu SY, Chen YJ, Tseng WC, Lin MW, Chen TJ, Hwang CY, et al. Psychiatric comorbidities in patients with alopecia areata in Taiwan: a case-control study. Br J Dermatol 2012; 166(3): 525-31.
  15. Yasami MT, Mansori P. Personality caracteristic and severity of depression in alopecia patients. J Kerman Univ Med Sci 1995; 1(2): 65-70. [In Persian].
  16. Ghanizadeh A. Comorbidity of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents with alopecia areata in a child and adolescent psychiatry clinical sample. Int J Dermatol 2008; 47(11): 1118-20.
  17. Latas M, Milovanovic S. Personality disorders and anxiety disorders: what is the relationship? Curr Opin Psychiatry 2014; 27(1): 57-61.
  18. Childs E, White TL, de Wit H. Personality traits modulate emotional and physiological responses to stress. Behav Pharmacol 2014; 25(5-6): 493-502.
Journal of Isfahan Medical School
Volume 32, Issue 316 - Serial Number 316
November and December 2015
Pages 2286-2294

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 25 December 2014
  • Revise Date: 05 May 2024
  • Accept Date: 06 April 2022

Share

How to cite

Statistics