Adults, children, and teens with atopic dermatitis (AD) experience a significant mental health burden that increases with eczema severity, according to a new study in the March 2024 issue of Dermatitis.
Many large-scale epidemiological and registry-based studies have demonstrated objective associations between AD and psychological concerns, but little has been known about AD patients’ subjective experience with, or perception of this mental health burden until now.
For the study, researchers from the National Eczema Association (NEA) evaluated patient-reported mental health symptoms, their correlation with eczema severity, and patient-perceived associations of eczema and its impacts on mental health. Fully 954 adults with eczema 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.
In the survey, mental health symptoms were defined as (but not limited to):
- Trouble sleeping
- Difficulty concentrating
- Poor appetite
- Feeling tired
- Little interest or pleasure in activities
- Feeling hopeless
Survey Findings
Seventy percent of respondents reported that either their own or their child’s mental health was impacted by eczema during the past year.
Around 25% of respondents reported that they (or their child) had symptoms of poor mental health more than 10 days in the past month. Those with more severe eczema symptoms were more likely to have 10+ days of poor mental health than those with less severe eczema symptoms, the study showed.
Most adults (65.5%) with eczema had anxiety scores that were “borderline abnormal” or “abnormal,” and nearly half (46.4%) had “borderline abnormal” or “abnormal” depression scores.
Eight-four percent of those with severe eczema reported that their or their child’s mood and emotions were affected “a lot” or “extremely” by eczema in the past month.
Both adults with eczema and caregivers of children and teens with eczema reported worsening mental health symptoms during flares and right before flares, and many also reported apprehension about future flares.
”Our study highlights patient and caregiver awareness of the detrimental impact of AD on mental health,” conclude researchers who were led by Jessica Johnson, Director of Community Research and Engagement at the NEA. “Addressing mental health in AD care settings early in the disease journey may be beneficial,”
Future research should look at barriers to accessing mental health services among the AD population and the extent to which providers who treat AD monitor and follow up with their patients’ mental health, the researchers write.
