Psychosocial Burden of Acne
Acne is one of the common skin problems affecting about 80% of the youth and causing significant psychosocial burden it can affect mood and interpersonal relationship.
Due to acne issues such as discontentment with one’s own appearance, self-consciousness, embarrassment, losing self-confidence, low self-esteem, avoiding social interaction with peers and the opposite sex, and reduce opportunities for employment have also been reported. Acne can even lead to permanent behavioral changes, causing the individuals to avoid social interaction and situation in later phases of life.
A study even reports that anxiety due to acne can negatively influence an individual intention to participate in sports or exercise. The presence of acne was found to be associated with poor self-attitude in boys and poor self-worth in girls.
Evidence from several review reports suggested a direct relationship between the severity of acne and depression and anxiety. Acne was also found to be associated with suicidal thoughts and attempts. The incidence of Suicidal ideation and depression in patients with severe acne was the highest among patients with various dermatoses, while in patients with mild and moderate acne, it was comparable to patients with skin disease such as atopic dermatitis, alopecia areata, and psoriasis.
The psychological, social, and emotional burden due to acne is equivalent to that caused by epilepsy, diabetes, asthma, and arthritis.
Emotional distress and anxiety due to acne can further aggravate the condition. The social and psychological consequence is also enormous, despite acne not being a life-threatening condition. Therefore, reducing the psychosocial burden of acne can be one of the management strategies.