Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: Acne vulgaris remains the most commonly skin disease treated by physicians with prevalence reaching up to 80% during adolescence. There is no single disease which causes more psychic trauma, more general insecurity and feelings of inferiority and greater sums of psychic assessment than does acne vulgaris. Aims & Objectives: To determine the prevalence of depression and its associated factors among acne patients in king Faisal and king Abdul-Aziz hospital in Makkah, 2011.
Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study included Acne patients, who attended dermatology clinic in both of King Faisal and King Abdul-Aziz hospitals in makkah during the study period (July, 2011). The diagnosis of acne included presence of white head comedon and black head comedon, papule, pustule, pseudocyst and scar. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. It is consist of three parts: demographic data, the Arabic version of Beck Depression Inventory questionnaire (BDI) and associated factor such as family history of depression, stressful event in the last month and acne treatment modality.
Results: The study included 228 acne patients. Their age ranged between 14 and 39 years with a mean of 23.9 ± 5.7 years. More than half of the participants were females (56.1%). Depression, regardless its severity, reported among 40.8% of acne patients. A severe depression was reported by 12.3% of acne patients while mild and moderate depressions were reported by 16.2% and 12.3% respectively. Extremely severe depression was not reported among any of acne patients. Age, gender and severity of acne were significantly associated with depression. Conclusion: This study points to mental problems as an important factor in acne, but the causal relationship remains elusive.