Postpartum-onset and childhood sexual trauma in a patient with skin picking disorder: a case report

Abstract

Women are at risk for the development of psychiatric disorders, particularly depression and psychosis in the postpartum period. Few studies have examined anxiety disorders or obsessive-compulsive and related disorders during pregnancy and the postpartum period. The individuals with skin-picking disorder (SPD) frequently have childhood history of sexual abuse. To best of our knowledge, there is no report in literature on postpartum-onset SPD to date. We here report a case of SPD initially presented a postpartum onset and exacerbated following a sexual trauma long years after her delivery. She had no previous history of trauma or psychiatric diagnoses. Pregnancy and sexual trauma seem to be associated with occurrence and relapsing of SPD in this case.

Keywords

• Skin-picking disorder
• postpartum
• childhood trauma
• sexual abuse