2015/06/15 by C Schut, Christina Schut, N Mollanazar +7 · 1 citation
Medicine · #Dermatology and Skin Diseases #Exercise and Physiological Responses #Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research
paper · pdf · doi:10.2340/00015555-2177
openalex publication_date 2015/06/15 · crossref created 2015/06/15 · crossref issued 2016/01/01 · crossref published 2016/01/01 · crossref published-print 2016/01/01 · crossref deposited 2023/02/07 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/07/31 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
Patients with chronic itch suffer from higher levels of depression and anxiety than their healthy counterparts. Furthermore, psychological factors, such as stress, are known to aggravate itch. The mere act of thinking about itching can induce the sensation. Interventions like habit reversal training and arousal reduction have been shown to have positive effects on itch relief. Yet, there is still limited data on the psychological management to control the itch scratch cycle and a description of methods suitable to address itch. In this review, we describe different psychological interventions shown to be effective in the treatment of chronic itch. We also provide suggestions based on our experience of suitable interventions for patients with different types of itch.