A controlled trial of group behavioural therapy in the management of atopic dermatitis in adults

INTERVENTION: Participants will be allocated randomly to one of two groups. The first group will receive an hour‐long educational session run by a consultant dermatologist. This will reinforce the optimal use of standard treatments for atopic dermatitis and incorporate standard advice on managing the condition. The second group will receive the educational session as well as 3 further hour‐long sessions to learn and practise the habit reversal technique. These 3 sessions will be run by a Specialist Registrar in psychiatry. Homework will be set between the sessions to reinforce the technique. The severity of the atopic dermatitis will be assessed at baseline, 1 month, 3 month and six months. The two groups will be compared. The assessors will be blind to the group allocation of participants. A pilot study with 6 participants has already been carried out. Feedback from participants was requested and this has been taken into account for the purpose of the current full scale trial. CONDITION: Atopic dermatitis ; Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases ; Atopic dermatitis PRIMARY OUTCOME: 1. The SCORAD ‐ an index developed by the European Task Force on Atopic Dermatitis to rate the severity of atopic dermatitis .; 2. The DLQI ‐ The Dermatology Life Quality Index. A questionnaire that assesses the impact of a number of skin conditions on daily life in preceding week.; 3. The HADS ‐ the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. A self‐ rating scale to detract evidence of the two conditions. SECONDARY OUTCOME: No secondary outcome measures INCLUSION CRITERIA: 1. A diagnosis of atopic dermatitis by the Hanifen & Najka criteria 2. Chronicity of at least one year 3. Aged 18 years and above