DERMATOLOGY
ANXIETY
More Than
Skin Deep
Are women with skin diseases more
vulnerable to anxiety and depression
than men? Research suggests a link.
New research shows that women in treatment for skin diseases experience
higher levels of non-psychotic psychiatric disorders than their
male counterparts. These disorders include, but are not limited to,
anxiety and depression.
Pinpointing these conditions earlier
can not only improve quality of
life, but it can also help reduce the
dermatological impact according to a
new study published in the European
Journal of Dermatology.
Current research has already demonstrated
that anxiety and depression
frequently occur in those patients
with skin conditions, but researchers
determined that if dermatologists
administered questionnaires to their
patients, they can assess possible
anxiety and depression levels to determine
which patients might benefit
from counseling.
“The aim of the present study was to
define predictors that can be used
by dermatologists to refer patients
for psychological consultation and
psychotherapy to improve patients’
clinical outcomes,” the authors of the
study wrote. The study evaluated the
psychological status of both males
and females, but researchers determined
that the psychological life of
women is more severely impacted by
skin diseases than that of men.
To assess the psychological state of
the patients, researchers used two
different questionnaires. The first
one is a 12-question, self- administered
Health Questionnaire known as
the GHQ-12. This survey is used to
assess psychological distress or non-
psychotic disorders. The other survey
used, the Skindex-17, measures
health-related quality-of-life issues
related to dermatological conditions.
The findings of both surveys indicated
that more women than men had
scores above the two chosen cut-off
points, with a significant difference
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