Treating More Than Wounds: Paper Calls for Mental Health Care in ASD Cases
Cedarville pharmacy student Thurein Zan coauthored international research urging dermatology and mental-health collaboration to treat artefactual skin disorder, highlighting diagnostic challenges, psychiatric links and multidisciplinary therapies.
Artefactual skin disorder (ASD) can leave patients with severe, self-inflicted wounds they may deny causing, making diagnosis and treatment complex for physicians. Cedarville University pharmacy student Thurein Zan collaborated with medical students in Germany and Poland on research outlining a holistic approach that addresses both skin and mental health.
International research collaboration led by Cedarville student
ASD, formerly known as dermatitis artefacta, is characterized by self-inflicted scars and lesions often resulting from cutting, burning, scratching, injections or chemical applications.
Holistic approach: skin care plus mental health
Recognizing the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges surrounding the disorder, Zan and his colleagues examined treatment options designed to care for patients with ASD — not just healing their bodies but also addressing underlying mental health needs. Their work was published in “Dermatology Review,” a respected, peer-reviewed medical journal in Poland.
Zan met one of his ASD research colleagues, Anna Prus, during a Cedarville-funded trip to a bioethics conference hosted by the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity. After Prus presented her paper, the two connected over shared academic interests.
“She was involved in some research and asked if I wanted to be a part of it,” said Zan.
Peer review and WHO naming update
Zan had not been involved in research like this before, but he accepted her offer. Along with three other researchers, they devoted hours to meticulous research, submitting the article in late 2024. The peer-review process was long and intense — involving double revisions and the World Health Organization changing the name of the disorder from dermatitis artefacta to artefactual skin disorder to better reflect that there are many motivations and factors for self-inflicted injuries.
Diagnostic complexity and psychiatric links
ASD requires specialized involvement from both dermatologists and psychologists. ASD sometimes necessitates surgery or even amputations, and the scars and lesions often resemble other skin conditions, posing an obvious problem for dermatologists. Psychologically, ASD is often linked to features of borderline personality disorder, impulse control disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder as well as dissociation and low emotion regulation.
Zan and his colleagues investigated possible treatments — including medication for symptom relief, psychodynamic therapy to expose underlying motives and cognitive behavioral therapy to ultimately change coping mechanisms.
Call for coordinated multidisciplinary care
“Successful treatment requires a coordinated multidisciplinary approach,” they wrote.
The researchers emphasized that successful care depends on coordinated treatment that involves both dermatology and mental health support. With ASD underrepresented in research and often difficult to identify, the team hopes their work helps clinicians recognize the disorder earlier and connect patients to appropriate, multidisciplinary care. The study is available online through “Dermatology Review.”
About Cedarville University
Cedarville University, an evangelical Christian institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate residential and online programs across arts, sciences and professional fields. With 7,265 students, it is among Ohio's largest private universities and is ranked among the nation’s top five evangelical universities in the Wall Street Journal’s 2026 Best Colleges in the U.S. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at cedarville.edu.