Psychosomatic investigations were made in 18 patients with dermographism, 17 with cold urticaria, and 13 with cholinergic urticaria. The Maudsley Personality Inventory was used and electroencephalograms were recorded from most patients. In the majority of cases of dermographism first symptoms coincided with frustrating situations and psychic stress-intensified manifestations. 81.8% of the patients with dermographism had abnormal electroencephalograms. In cold urticaria the role of psychic factors could not be demonstrated, whereas in cholinergic urticaria ‘brief’ emotions provoked symptoms in three-quarters of the patients, although no other signs of the role of psychic factors were detec