Depression among patients with acne vulgaris: does disease severity matter?

Abstract

Acne vulgaris has a significant impact on an individual’s mental health and well-being. To investigate the impact of acne vulgaris on mental health of patients. This case-control study was conducted on 93 patients with acne vulgaris and 93 age- and sex- matched healthy volunteers as control group, using the standard Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) questionnaire, from November 2020 to March 2021. The depression score was significantly higher in acne sufferers, and was correlated with disease severity. On the other hand, no significant relationship was found between anxiety score and acne. It can also be seen that depression and anxiety are significantly more common in women and also in younger ages. This study pointed out the importance of evaluating depression signs in patients with acne vulgaris, which could have a significant effect on patients’ quality of life.