Group psychotherapy as an aid in the medical treatment of eczema.

The ongoing management of severe adult eczema is often difficult and problematic for both patient and doctor. A group of ten adult eczema patients were given group psychotherapy as a supplement to their regular medical regimen. Five target symptoms were rated on a biweekly basis first to establish individual baselines of disease course and later to measure treatment effect. The psychologic treatment combined behavioral and cognitive interventions with relaxation training. Patients used multiple self-rating sheets to provide feedback with the goal of increasing their skills in the management of scratching behaviors. At the end of treatment all ten patients showed significant reduction in targeted symptoms.