World Mental Health Day: Hidden burdens of skin disease include stigmatization

Key takeaways:

• Half of patients with skin diseases report anxiety and depression.
• Approximately 15% to 20% of patients report feelings of stigmatization due to their disease.

Each year, WHO marks World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10 in an effort to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilize efforts to support mental health.

According to WHO’s website, World Mental Health Day “provides an opportunity for all stakeholders working on mental health issues to talk about their work, and what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for people worldwide.”

In a large survey from the Burden of Skin Disease in Europe project published in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, Marie-Aleth Richard, MD, professor of dermatology at the University Hospital of La Timone Marseille in France and European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology board member, and colleagues found that patients suffering from dermatological conditions are not exempt from mental burdens brought on by disease.

"One-third of the adult general population has a skin concern and seeks a dermatologist's advice every year," Richard told Healio. "The impact of skin diseases on personal social, familial and professional life is huge, and as many skin lesions are visible to others, they induce stigmatization, disgust, rejection and fear of contagiosity, for example."

Richard and colleagues surveyed 19,915 individuals with skin diseases in Europe to assess their qualities of life. Participants who completed the survey were aged 18 years or older and had been diagnosed with one or more skin diseases in the past 12 months.

Results showed that 88.1% and 83% of all participants felt their disease was a source of embarrassment in their personal and work lives, respectively. Further, 14.5% reported stigmatization in the form of feeling rejected from others, whereas 19.2% described “being looked at with disgust.”

According to the study, half of all participants reported moderate or high anxiety or depression.

With regard to quality of life, patients with hidradenitis suppurative or STDs reported the highest burden. Approximately half of participants with acne, alopecia or chronic urticaria also reported a modest to extreme quality of life impairment due to their disease, whereas 40% of patients with atopic dermatitis, skin cancers or psoriasis reported the same.

"We should keep in mind that the impact of skin diseases on quality of life and their burden is higher than cardiovascular diseases or even diabetes in order to better support and better provide care of affected patients," Richard said.

Approximately half of participants also stated that they frequently experience tiredness, sleep deprivation and being unable to take care of themselves due to their disease.

According to Richard, treating these patients must go beyond the skin and should include providing "empathy, respect and better taking into account patients' expectations and wishes," she said.

“Our policy makers as well as society should pay more attention to this important burden regarding the higher number of skin diseases and the considerable impact of skin diseases on affected people on different aspects of their life," Richard said.

Reference:

• 10 October is World Mental Health Day. https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-mental-health-day. Accessed Oct. 10, 2023.