Psychiatric and Psychological implications of acne.

Acne is much more than a superficial skin disease. Research has shown that psychiatric disorders such as depression, social phobia and anxiety disorders can develop secondary to the formation of acne. Acne patients have been known to report much higher levels of depression and anxiety than other patients, such as cancer patients, and patiens of other dermatology related diseases.

Patients with potentially disfiguring dermatological illnesses reported much greater rates of suicidal notions. Even though suicidal tendencies have been shown to be extremely high in dermatological patients (with psoriasis being the only condition that surpassed acne as a cause to suicidal tendencies), acne is one illness that is drastically affected by the mood of the patient. I.E.  a patient who is not content of his external looks can sink into despair and depression which in turn further aggravate his clinical condition.

The quality of life ( defined by the satisfaction one feels from his everyday life) is bound to drop with any disease, but acne patients usually experience a higher drop in their quality of life.

Older acne vulgaris patients report a significantly higher drop in quality of life than their younger counterparts. This is completely explainable by the fact that acne is very common and accepted among young people and adolescents, but relatively rare among adults, which can result in difficulty of social acceptance to those adults who suffer from acne vulgaris.

When the physician chooses the course of treatments for an acne patient, it is crucial to take in to account the psychological aspects of the treatment and the disease. It is interesting to note that although isotretinoin is known to cause depression, its great effectiveness in treating acne has been illustrated in two studies to have a superior efficacy in reducing the psychological conditions coupled with acne as well.
It is very important to remember that both acne and its treatment should be more than skin deep.

The chosen treatment has to affect both the disease, and the related psychological discomfort (by adding supplementary correct exercise and diets that have been known to relieve depression and invigorate the patient for example).

Lastly, proper counseling should be given to acne patients, whether they are adolescents or adults, explaining the disease and easing the anxiety that comes with unknown treatment. Almost all cases of acne can be successfully treated leaving no stress, and it is our duty to inform the patients on that fact, and help them with all aspects of the treatments.