Psychocutaneous Disorders And Their Placement in the DSM-5

Abstract

This paper examines psychocutaneous disorders, and discusses their current placement in the DSM-5. Included in this paper is an explanation as to why two disorders stand out as not having external motivators involved when patients engage in behaviors creating skin lesions. These disorders are dermatitis artefacta and excoriation disorder. For the purposes of this paper, excoriation disorder also includes all other pathological grooming behaviors and body focused repetitive behaviors. Dermatitis artefacta and excoriation disorder will be examined and compared in detail, giving consideration to the categories under which they fall in the DSM-5 and the methods and processes involved with how these disorders manifest themselves in patients. Their classifications and placements will be analyzed and assessed, and an alternative placement will be introduced for dermatitis artefacta. This paper discusses reasons why dermatitis artefacta should be mentioned in the DSM-5 under the chapter discussing somatic symptom and related disorders. Proving that dermatitis artefacta should exist in the DSM-5 raises an important question: what is the reason for its absence? This paper lastly examines the DSM from a political and historical perspective, giving insight as to why dermatitis artefacta and psychocutaneous disorders as a whole are, for the most part, ignored in the DSM-5.