ABSTRACT
Stress and anxiety may worsen atopic dermatitis (AD) through the serotonin system. Serotonergic expression was measured in 28 patients with AD in relation to extent of the disease (SCORing of Atopic Dermatitis; SCORAD), pruritus intensity (visual analogue scale; VAS), anxiety traits (Swedish Universities Scales of Personality; SSP) and depression (Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale-Self assessment; MADRS-S). Biopsies were taken from lesional and non-lesional AD skin, and investigated for expression of serotonin, its receptors 5-HT1A and 5-HT2, and serotonin transporter protein (SERT), using immunohistochemistry. 5-HT1AR-immunoreactivity (ir) was higher in lesional skin in apical epidermis and in mast cell-like cells in dermis, and 5-HT2AR-ir in apical epidermis and on blood vessels. In contrast, a basement membrane 5-HT2AR-ir signal was higher in non-lesional skin. The distribution of SERT-ir in the basal epidermal layer was higher in lesional skin. Positive and negative correlations were found between serotonergic markers and SCORAD, inflammation, pruritus intensity, anxiety traits, and depression score, indicating that serotonergic mechanisms are involved in AD.
Subject(s)
Dermatitis, Atopic/immunology , Pruritus/immunology , Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT1A/metabolism , Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT2A/metabolism , Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins/metabolism , Serotonin/metabolism , Adult , Anxiety/psychology , Biopsy , Depression/psychology , Dermatitis, Atopic/physiopathology , Dermatitis, Atopic/psychology , Female , Humans , Immunohistochemistry , Male , Middle Aged , Pruritus/physiopathology , Pruritus/psychology , Self-Assessment , Severity of Illness IndexABSTRACT
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is an often severe, chronic, and disabling disorder, and although some controlled trials of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) have shown efficacy, the body of evidence is still limited. The condition is generally considered difficult to treat, and further research to determine the effectiveness of psychological treatments for BDD is needed. The present study is the first to evaluate an acceptance-based therapy for BDD. In total, 21 patients received a 12-week group treatment consisting of weekly sessions of psychoeducation, acceptance and defusion practice, and exposure exercises to foster acceptance of internal discomfort and to strengthen the patients' committed purposeful actions. The primary outcome was BDD symptomatology (measured on the BDD-YBOCS) assessed by a psychiatrist before and after treatment and at 6months follow-up. The secondary outcomes were self-rated BDD symptoms, psychological flexibility, depressive symptoms, quality of life, and disability. Reductions in BDD symptomatology from pre- to posttreatment were significant and showed a large effect size, d=1.93 (95% CI 0.82-3.04). At posttreatment, 68% of the participants showed clinically significant improvement in the primary outcome variable. Treatment gains were maintained at 6months follow-up. The treatment also resulted in significant improvements in all secondary outcomes. The dropout rate was low; 90.5% of the participants completed treatment. This study suggests that acceptance-based exposure therapy may be an efficacious and acceptable treatment for BDD that warrants further investigation in larger controlled trials.
