Psychiatry and Clinical Psychopharmacology

Bipolar disorder cyclicity and psoriasis: a case presentation

Psychiatry and Clinical Psychopharmacology 2014; 24: Supplement S258-S259
Read: 783 Published: 17 February 2021

Psoriasis is a chronic, persistent, T-cell mediated inşammatory skin disease of multifactorial etiology. Stress and psychosocial factors have prominent role in both onset and exacerbations of the disease. A 52 years old married, primary school graduate female patient was admitted to our outpatient clinic by a relative with complaints of lack of will and interest, depressive mood, fatigue, lack of energy, excessive sleeping, loss of appetite and feeling worthless. She has suffered from Bipolar disorder I for 30 years and psoriasis for 20 years in her medical history. She had pruritus, excoriated psoriatic plaques in mainly extensor sites of extremities, scalp and the whole body. Her husband described five manic and 8-9 depressive episodes. Her treatment was regulated with the diagnosis of depressive episode (şuoxetine 20 mg/day, valproic acid 1000 mg/day and quetiapine XR 400 mg/day). The patient and her husband refused to use the drugs recommended by dermatologist with the reason that drugs exacerbate her psychiatric condition. The patient admitted to our clinic with hypomanic symptoms 20 days after the first visit. However, the skin lesions had recovered dramatically without taking any medication for it. Fluoxetine treatment was stopped. Valproic acid dose was increased to 1500 mg and quetiapine XR dose to 600 mg. She was called for control after 15 days. In control visit, her psychiatric symptoms were in remission. No augmentation or worsening was observed in skin lesions. We conclude that treating underlying psychiatric condition would improve the patient’s dermatologic disease and enhance medication compliance. The cooperation of dermatologist and psychiatrist would increase the treatment success of diseases.

EISSN 2475-0581