PSORIASIS AND PSYCHIC CONFLICTS IN ADULTHOOD: QUALITATIVE STUDY BASED ON ANALYTICAL PSYCHOLOGY

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease which affects about 1% of Brazilian population, with peak of incidence in both second and fifth decades of life. Psychological distress can impact physically, and physical changes can affect the psychic. This study aims to comprehend the relationship between psychic conflict and psoriasis, in adulthood, in the light of analytic psychology. This is a qualitative research, carried out with ten adults undergoing psoriasis treatment in a philanthropic hospital in northeastern Brazil. A semi-structured questionnaire was applied and from the participant’s speech three categories emerged: (1) conflicts, beginning and aggravation of symptoms; (2) the experience of negative feelings in psoriasis; and (3) variations and adaptations facing the disease. It was concluded that the findings in the research related the emergence of psoriasis to significant situations, of high affective load, confirming the current literature, besides the objective and psychic consequences to the patient.