Nervous itching is a health problem that can occur due to neuropathic and psychological causes as well as skin problems. Although the exact cause of itching is not known by dermatologists or neurologists, it is thought to be caused by damage to the nervous system. This damage can be caused by psychological or neurological factors. The treatment process is usually planned depending on the patient's medical history, the severity, intensity and type of itching.
Itching that occurs when chemical processes affecting the brain negatively affect the nerve cells under the skin is called psychogenic itching. This is a type of itching that appears as a result of psychological factors triggering itching, increasing its severity and providing continuity. Factors that cause psychological itching may include stress, depression, anxiety and some traumatic events. In cases of neuropathy, pain during itching is very common. In chronic cases, the treatment process becomes difficult and a serious sensitivity is observed in the person.
What are the Symptoms of Neural Itching?
While itching can occur as a sign and symptom of many disorders, the individual usually cannot understand why this condition is caused. Itching that may increase in the evening and especially at night; When it is seen with different symptoms such as jaundice, abdominal pain and nausea, the underlying cause may be due to liver problems.
Whensymptoms of nervous itching occur, it can seriously complicate the quality of life of the individual. It does not appear in a single area and is usually seen in the hands, feet, back and legs. In addition, itching does not cover a single area, but rather superficial and large areas.
Burning, numbness and electrification are felt in the area where itching occurs. In itching caused by psychological factors, the severity of itching increases in emotional states such as increased stressful situations.
In psychogenic itching, there are usually no physical findings and this condition cannot be explained too much. The underlying psychological factors need to be identified. In neuropathic itching, there is usually pain in the itchy area. Although this is not common in psychogenic itching, mild pain may be observed. In addition, itching during sleep can be at levels that wake the person up during sleep in most cases. This can lead to sleep disorders and increased psychological factors such as stress.
What are the Causes of Nervous Itching?
Among the causes of neural itching is damage to nerve cells due to different reasons. There may be many health problems that can cause damage to brain cells. The most common among these is diabetic neuropathy. In cases of poorly controlled diabetes, prolonged high blood sugar causes damage to nerve cells, leading to diabetic neuropathy. This condition also causes severe pain and itching.
Nerve cells cannot regenerate themselves too much and their ability to reproduce is limited. This makes treatment difficult. In addition to diabetes, some traumatic events, infection, metabolic problems and genetic predisposition may also be among the causes of nervous itching.
What is Good for Nervous Itching?
It is important to determine the underlying cause of psychogenic itching. After examining and evaluating many points such as whether the individual is going through a traumatic period, is depressed, is exposed to intense stress, an appropriate treatment and therapy plan is created for the person.
After determining the underlying cause, some therapies or medication treatments that are good for nervous itching are applied to the person. Among the therapies applied, the most preferred and beneficial therapy method is cognitive behavioral therapy.
With these therapies, the person is treated and the itching conditions experienced due to psychological factors are eliminated. However, if there are neurological factors under this condition, it should be determined which disease causes this condition and a treatment should be applied on that disease.
In cognitive behavioral therapy, the individual's thoughts and behaviors regarding the psychological conditions experienced are studied. In addition, antidepressants, creams and some medications may be prescribed if deemed necessary by specialists.
How is nervous itching diagnosed?
The medical history of the patient and the medical history of the family are learned in detail by the specialist. Some examinations and tests may be requested to determine whether the underlying cause of itching is psychological or neurological.
Common complaints in cases of suspected neuropathy include itching and pain, as well as numbness, tingling, chills, burning, loss of strength and fatigue in the hands. However, since these symptoms can also be caused by other diseases, some tests can be performed to rule out other diseases.
An electromyography (EMG) test can determine whether there is any neurological problem. If there is damage to the nervous system, the treatment process is planned. However, if there is no disease condition, the situation is handled psychologically.
How to Treat Nervous Itching?
Depending on the cause of itching, the treatment process is planned by specialists. Therapy applications, creams and antidepressants are generally used in the treatment of nervous itching. These methods are performed by specialized clinical psychologists or psychiatrists. Generally, cognitive behavioral therapy, anesthetic creams and antidepressants are among the methods applied. In some cases, these methods alone may not be sufficient and can be applied together.
In psychological itching, alexithymia, also known as emotional blindness (inability to express one's emotions) is encountered. Factors that increase itching may include anger, aggression, need for love and attention. As these feelings are not met and their intensity increases, itching also increases. Therapies work on the individual's ability to express the emotions they experience. The more emotions are expressed, the less itching that occurs.
The feelings of worthlessness and inadequacy that occur in depressed people are worked on in a similar way and the person is enabled to express these feelings. Antidepressants prescribed by the specialist release serotonin into the person's body, allowing the person to get rid of itching.