Even though the association between dermatological conditions in pregnancy with psychiatric findings is vital for patient management, studies on these issues are limited.

To determine the frequency and nature of dermatological problems in pregnant women having primary psychiatric illness.

To establish an association between cutaneous manifestations in pregnancy with the hypothesis that psychiatric illness also has a role in pregnancy.

This was a case control study and non probability convenient sampling was used on 50 pregnant patients with cutaneous manifestations along with psychiatric illness and 50 age matched non pregnant patients free from dermatological conditions and psychiatric illness. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV) Criteria was used to diagnose psychiatric illness and for skin manifestations patients underwent a physical examination of skin.

Pregnant patients with depressive disorders were associated with atopic eruption of pregnancy [odds ratio (OR) 1.19; 95% (CI): 1.13–1.49], pruritic urticarial papules [(OR) 2.89; 95% (CI): 2.55–2.97], plaques of pregnancy [(OR) 2.14; 95% (CI): 2.01–2.39], prurigo of pregnancy [(OR) 1.33; 95% (CI): 1.17–1.45], intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy [(OR) 2.45; 95% (CI): 2.29–2.67], pemphigoid gestationis [(OR) 1.57; 95% (CI): 1.50–1.68], impetigo herpetiformis [(OR) 1.83; 95% (CI): 1.65–2.24], and pruritic folliculitis of pregnancy [(OR) 2.34; 95% (CI): 2.20–3.62], psoriasis [(OR) 1.75; 95% (CI): 1.64–2.37], melasma [(OR) 1.88; 95% (CI): 1.63–2.49], intrahepatic cholestasis [(OR) 2.77; 95% (CI): 2.14–3.48].

The results of the study support the hypothesis, that there is an association between psychiatric and skin diseases in pregnancy.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.