Abstract
The drug therapy for skin symptoms, the investigation and elimination of aggravating factors, and the application of moisturizer to supplement the barrier function of skin form the basis of the treatment of atopic dermatitis. Stress as one of the aggravating factors increases itchy sensations and intensifies scratching. On the other hand, scratching can be a part of stress coping behavior, and in the cases that scratching behavior had become a habit, the dermatological treatment could not have sufficient effect without dropping the habit. However, many of the refractory cases show that the patients are obsessed with itchy sensations and scratching, who often claim that the more they try to stop scratching the harder it becomes to stop it. For such patients, I apply outpatient Morita therapy to aim at changing their way of living and thinking, without instructing them “not to scratch”. The patients are guided to lead a behavior-oriented life and to gain the “arugamama” way of life. As the way of life changes, the patients are released from the obsession, improving the stressful condition, which then naturally leads to resolve the dermatitis.
