Addressing Emotional Issues in an Adolescent with Vitiligo and Early Child Sexual Abuse—Therapeutic Challenges

Chronic medical conditions in children and adolescents have a significant impact on development and quality of life. Children with vitiligo experience depression, anxiety and guilt, body image concerns, and conflicts of acceptance–rejection among peers. Understanding issues of relevance through a developmental perspective is pivotal. Here, we report the experiences of working with an adolescent who presented with depressive symptoms, mood dysregulation, and self-harm, in the background of vitiligo and child sexual abuse. We describe the unique therapeutic challenges, focusing on the interplay between depressive psychopathology, childhood trauma, and normative adolescent development. Therapeutic strategies for patient-centered psychological interventions are discussed. The therapy processes focused on a narrative approach, with the active involvement of the family.