Psychocutaneous medicine

The links between the mind and the skin have long been recognized. The skin has been described as the mirror of the mind, and so it is not surprising that the interface between dermatology and psychiatry (‘psychocutaneous medicine’ or ‘psychodermatology’) is emerging as a specific subspeciality of dermatology. Psychodermatological conditions can be classified as either primarily psychiatric disorders which manifest via skin disease, for example delusional infestation, or primarily dermatological disorders, for example psoriasis, which may be caused by, or associated with profound psychiatric morbidity (e.g. anxiety, depression).