Itching and anxiety by themselves can be considered a nuisance to humans, now imagine if they struck together and what if one of them caused the other. So if you are indeed wondering something related to “Can anxiety cause itching”, then worry not as we are going to help you understand the whole link between itching and anxiety in comprehensive detail. Let’s start on that in the words below:
Defining Anxiety
Anxiety is our normal response to some situations that the mind thinks are critical and may have a sense of impending danger. These are feelings of dread and fear that revolve around the context that something bad is about to happen. We all have felt it at some point in our lives as occasional anxiety is okay to have but it can be fearsome and critical when it gets out of hand. It may be because of an underlying anxiety disorder or something consequential of which anxiety is a symptom. Therefore, treatment is paramount for it before it turns into a full-blown anxiety disorder.
Anxiety itself can be separated into two different types, acute and chronic:
Acute Anxiety: Persistent and uncontrollable feelings of dread that come intermittently. Panic attacks are also sometimes called acute anxiety.
Chronic Anxiety: Persistent and uncontrollable feelings of dread that stay for an extended period of time, leaving the affected individual to constantly live in a state of fear. Individuals with chronic anxiety often feel that their day-to-day activities are extremely affected.
So, Does Anxiety Cause Itching?
If you were wondering and asking yourself, “Does anxiety cause itching?”, then the short answer is yes, it indeed does. Also called psychogenic itching, we can feel excessive itching caused by extreme anxiety or any of the anxiety disorders. This type of itching can also turn into other dermatological conditions like psoriasis, rashes, hives or eczema. They come and go in the form of sensations happening because of anxiety or stress, and that is when the affected individuals get the feeling of needing to itch.
Learn More: Anxiety Symptoms in Women
What is the Link Between Anxiety and Itching?
If you feel the need to ask, can anxiety cause itching then it is probably true that there must be a link between anxiety and itching. Let’s discuss it! You see anxiety and itching are very much connected and well beyond the psychological level. When anxiety is high, rest assured that the stress hormone cortisol is also elevated to the extent that it changes the way adrenal glands work. This can lead to the release of other hormones that lead to itching on the skin.
Additionally, the brain plays a big role in itching. When the sensations of itching arise, our brain also responds to it, activating its motor, sensory, and emotional centers, which can lead to the vicious cycle of anxiety-itching and vice versa. This can lead to a worsening quality of life as the affected individual will never stop their excessive itching and will also constantly worry about what would seem to them a never-ending cycle. We hope we are getting to a point where at least some of the answers to the question. “Can anxiety cause itching?”
Furthermore, we can say that while psychogenic itching does exist, it is extremely rare and can sometimes be misdiagnosed as idiopathic pruritus, which is itching with a known cause. But it can also present due to and therefore be classified into three different types: itching conditions causing psychological problems, itching caused by psychosocial factors and psychological disorders causing itching (also defined as psychogenic itching).
The Cycle of Anxiety and Itching
Psychogenic itching can be the result of the anxiety-itch cycle, which as mentioned before leads to anxiety, which in turn leads to more itching and therefore more anxiety, which goes on and on.
Whether it is psychogenic itching or chronic itching, they can both affect the mental state of the affected individual. In these cases, there is not even the question of can anxiety cause itching as it is understood that it essentially can. Research suggests that when you are suffering from some kind of psychological or mental condition, your itching symptoms exacerbate. Another study evidenced this by proving that stress and anxiety tend to increase the level of itching by doing experiments that involved showing images that caused stress and anxiety to participants and saw their itching symptoms increase.
A lot of people tend to ask, is itching a sign of anxiety, especially when it comes to the hair scalp where itching can become prevalent? Anxiety can also lead to itching of the hair scalp. While experts are not confirming what is the reason behind this phenomenon, they do believe that the stress hormone cortisol is increased when someone is feeling anxious, which is strongly linked to problems with hair follicles and therefore the scalp.
All of the discussion points above relay that there can be many reasons for the anxiety-itching cycle and therefore gives answers to questions like, “Is itching a sign of anxiety?”. These discussions also try to pinpoint the different ways itching can be caused by anxiety and therefore also answering, can anxiety cause itching in different ways.
Treatment
Anxiety and itching can be caused by each other, so after pinpointing which one comes first, a suitable treatment can be provided. These can range from something like psychotherapy, where a patient tries to come to terms with the negative feelings that might be caused by anxiety, counseling, lifestyle changes, and suitable medication. If one of these ailments can be treated by one or a combination of these treatment methods, then rest assured it can treat the other too. This can help lay rest to your questions like, can anxiety cause itching or does anxiety cause itching?
Concluding Words
After reading these words, we hope you understand what anxiety is and have also understood the link between itching and anxiety. You must also know now what comes beyond the question of, “Can anxiety cause itching.” If you or your loved ones need treatment for any of these ailments, we at Inland Empire Behavioral Group are adept at finding solutions for conditions like anxiety and itching or other mental conditions such as Depression, Panic Disorder, or OCD.
