# Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Scabies Patients: The Overlooked Part of a Global Outbreak

## TL;DR

This study finds that scabies patients often experience PTSD symptoms, highlighting the need for mental health support in dermatology.

## Contribution

The study is the first to investigate PTSD in scabies patients, revealing a significant mental health impact.

## Key findings

- 53.7% of scabies patients had high PTSD scores according to the IES-R.
- Patients with PTSD had higher anxiety, depression, and quality of life impairment scores.
- PTSD symptoms persisted one month after scabies diagnosis.

## Abstract

Scabies is a parasitosis caused by Sarcoptes scabiei var hominis. The most important clinical symptom of scabies is severe itching, which can cause insomnia, lack of concentration, and disruption in social life in patients. In addition to exposure to a traumatic stressor, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can also occur with various diseases that impair quality of life. With this study, we aimed to investigate whether scabies cause PTSD.

The Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS) were applied to the scabies patients at the time of initial diagnosis. The Impact of Events Scale-Revised (IES-R), HADS, Peritraumatic Dissociation Scale (PDEQ), and Life Events Checklist (LEC) were administered to the patients who came for control one month later.

Among the 82 research participants, 53 (64.7%) patients had moderately to severely impacted quality of life, with a mean DLQI total score of 8.57±5.29. Also, 53.7% of patients diagnosed with scabies had a significantly high IES-R score for PTSD. In the group with PTSD (+), DLQI, anxiety and depression scores, PDEQ score, and LEC score were higher both at the time of diagnosis and one month after diagnosis.

In our cross-sectional study, a significantly higher IES-R score was found in patients with scabies in terms of PTSD. We believe that scabies patients should be examined prospectively in terms of psychiatric morbidities and dermatologists' awareness should be increased in this sense.