Eczema is known to take a toll on emotional wellbeing and quality of life, yet 42% of patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) and caregivers of children/teens with eczema have never spoken about mental health with primary eczema care providers, according to new survey results from The National Eczema Association (NEA) in Skin Health and Disease.
As part of the study, adult eczema patients (18 years or older) as well as the primary caregivers of younger eczema patients (children and teens ages 8 to 17 years) completed a survey about mental health and eczema’s relationship to mental health. The survey included questions about eczema symptoms, mental health symptoms, perceptions of the connection between eczema and mental health and experiences accessing mental health services.
Mental health services in the survey were defined as, but not limited to: counseling with a mental health provider; cognitive behavioral therapy; social support groups; alternative mental health therapy (such as music or art therapy); and/or mental health medications.
The study found that:
- 50% of patients were never asked about mental health by their primary eczema care provider during any visits
- 64% of adult patients and caregivers of young patients with eczema were not referred to mental health resources
- The patients more likely to be referred to mental health services included children, men, those with limited education and people seeing non-specialists
- If patients were referred to mental health resources, the most common referrals were to counseling services (23% of referrals), alternative mental health therapy (15%), cognitive behavioral therapy (13%) and peer/social support groups (12%)
- 57% of people utilized the recommended services if they received a referral for mental healthcare.
- The patients more likely to have never spoken with their primary eczema care providers about mental health included women, people of low income and people seeing specialists (such as dermatologists or allergists) for their primary eczema care
- Young adults 18–34 years old frequently reported not being asked about their mental health but wanted to be
This survey showed that a significant number of patients are not being asked about or did not speak to their eczema care provider about mental health. Furthermore, most eczema patients are not receiving referrals for mental health support.
“We know about the emotional and psychological toll that eczema can take on patients of all ages,” saysWendy Smith Begolka, study senior author and chief strategy officer at NEA, in a news release, “Ideally, patients and healthcare providers would feel comfortable discussing mental health during their visits. Our study highlights the opportunity to help this discussion occur more consistently.”
More research is needed to identify the most effective mental health interventions for eczema patients, as well as current barriers to referring patients to mental healthcare. Future studies may also help us better understand the role of patient advocacy organizations, like NEA, in helping to mitigate the overall mental health burden of eczema.
The first paper from this research, which examined eczema patients’ perceptions of how mental health relates to eczema symptoms, was published in Dermatitis. Additional findings and insights from this study are expected to be published in the coming months.
