Depression and depressive symptoms among people living with vitiligo: findings from the cross-sectional, population-based global VALIANT survey.

Purpose: Vitiligo often affects quality of life and psychosocial well-being. This analysis of the population-based global Vitiligo and Life Impact Among International Communities (VALIANT) study sought to understand the impact of vitiligo on depression and depressive symptoms from the patient perspective.

Materials and methods: The cross-sectional survey collected information on patient demographics, clinical characteristics, mental health diagnoses, and depressive symptoms (assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-Depression screener [PHQ-9]) among recruited patients who reported a vitiligo diagnosis.

Results: Of 3541 VALIANT respondents, 24.5% reported formal diagnosis of depression, and 55.0% reported moderate-to-severe symptoms of depression per the PHQ-9. Rates of formally diagnosed depression and moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms were significantly higher in younger patients, those with Fitzpatrick skin types IV-VI (i.e. darker skin), >5% affected body surface area, hand or face involvement, and those receiving mental healthcare versus their counterparts (all p < 0.0001). Interestingly, moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms were more common among patients with shorter disease duration (≤2 vs 3-9 and ≥10 years; p < 0.01), but there was no correlation between diagnosed depression and disease duration.

Conclusions: These VALIANT study findings highlight that depression may be common but often undiagnosed among patients with vitiligo, reinforcing the importance of an improved and multifaceted approach to vitiligo management.