Psoriasis Tied to Depression, Suicide
AUGUST 17, 2010
Reuters Health reports on a new study which found that people with the skin condition psoriasis are more likely to be depressed, anxious, and thinking about suicide, than those without the problem. Researchers found that nearly one in ten people with mild psoriasis had been depressed at some point -- more than twice as many as among people without the disease. And in severe cases, the depression rate rose even further. "Psoriasis has a profound impact on patients' well being," said Joel Gelfand, MD, MSCE, Assistant Professor of Dermatology, and Senior Scholar, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, who worked on the study. "It's likely that there are tens of thousands of extra cases of depression and suicidal thoughts due to psoriasis." The research was led by resident Shanu Kohli Kurd, MD, MSCE, MHS, Gelfand, Andrea Troxel, ScD, and colleagues.
