• psychology of itching
  • Nader Arbabi,1,*
    1. Azad University of Qom medical sience.


  • Introduction: The Itch as a pain is a somatosensory symptom that is percepted by subject as an unpleasant condition. The itch is a subjetive sence that is mutually related to psychological state of patient .Anexity ,stress,mood disorder, character traits can affect patient's psychological well being and similarly the quality and quantity of itch perception.
  • Methods: this review study was planned in non systematic manner. A search was performed in Pubmed with "itch" and "pruritus"word in combination with " anexity, depresion,stress,quality of life,Psychology,psycogenic,personality disorder) search with regard to level of evidence contains RCT, cohort study ,view point article ,case report and the expert's opnion also systematic and non systematic rewie was considered in search.The result of search combined with author's clinical experience and viewpoint.
  • Results: itch is a desire to scratch .subject cognitive‐affective information processing was involved in itch perception . Some specific features of itch such as contagious itch, Itch-scratch cycle ,sujestability is directly related to psychological state of patient.
  • Conclusion: stressful life events,anexity disorder,depressive mood disorder can increase itch perception or exacerbate underline dermatologic induced pruritus . Pruritus along with its scratching leads to a vicious cycle named itch-scratch cycle that plays a major role in itch chronicifcation. Suggestion and conditioning Lay underline of contagios nature of itching
  • Keywords: psychology, itching,