Anxiety and depression in patients with acne vulgaris at tertiary care hospital: A cross-sectional study

Context: Acne vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory disease of the pilosebaceous follicles, characterized by comedones, papules, pustules, nodules, and often scars. Patients with acne feel self-conscious about the recurrence of skin lesions, especially their redness and scarring and often describe feelings of embarrassment, low confidence, depression, stress, and anxiety. Aim: To assess the levels of anxiety and depression in patients with acne vulgaris. To assess the relationship between the severity of acne and anxiety and depression. Setting and Design: Designed as a cross-sectional study conducted at a tertiary care hospital. Methods and Material: This is a cross-sectional study involving 100 patients diagnosed with acne vulgaris in the dermatology venereology leprosy (DVL) outpatient department between 18 and 40 years of age. The Global Acne Grading System (GAGS) was applied to assess the severity of acne. The hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to assess the levels of anxiety and depression in patients with acne vulgaris. Statistical Analysis Used: Statistical analysis was done using the statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 25. Results: GAGS revealed 14 subjects to be having mild acne, 34 moderate, 40 severe, and 12 very severe acne. Symptoms of anxiety were observed in 74 subjects and depression in 48 subjects. A statistically significant association (P<.001) was found between the severity of acne and anxiety and depression. Conclusion: High proportion of patients with acne had anxiety and depression, which were found to be significantly associated with the severity of acne.