Recognizing the Mental Health Impact of Chronic Skin Diseases

Through AbbVie’s partnership with healthcare providers and patient advocacy organizations, we’re shedding light on this topic and empowering both patients and caregivers to communicate the full impact of their disease to receive better support.

“Bringing together diverse voices in dermatology, including patients, physicians and patient advocates, we’ve heard from the community about how skin conditions impact the whole person, not just what's visible," says Tony Pires, Ph.D., Therapeutic Area Head of Dermatology Medical Affairs at AbbVie. “This continued dialogue helps close awareness gaps, support earlier diagnoses and empower patients to have meaningful conversations with healthcare providers.”

AbbVie recently supported the Vitiligo Patient Views (VPV) survey, a global initiative led by the Vitiligo International Patient Organisations Committee (VIPOC) to hear and amplify vitiligo patients’ perspectives on mental health burden.*

It is the first survey of its kind among the vitiligo community and aims to capture comprehensive data on the lived experience of people affected by vitiligo, including physical, emotional, social and economic impacts.⁶

“The Vitiligo Patient Views survey is an important opportunity to fill a long-standing evidence gap and bring the lived reality of patients and caregivers to the forefront,” said Jean-Marie Meurant, President of VIPOC. “By sharing their experiences — including the impact of vitiligo on mental health — the global vitiligo community can help build the case for awareness and advocacy, better-informed medical decisions, improved care plans and more equitable access to appropriate care.”

For patients with chronic skin disease, recognizing hidden symptoms is key to finding the right care plan. Yet many patients don't realize how closely connected skin and scalp health are to emotional health.

“At times, patients may think their skin disease is under control because they have seen improvement in their rash, repigmentation or hair growth,” says AbbVie’s Pires. “However, there are impacts beyond the physical, such as stress, emotional well-being, difficulty sleeping and overall quality of life, which patients may not realize are connected to their skin disease.” 

This emotional weight impacts patients' lives. Research shows that: 

• 58% of patients with vitiligo have been diagnosed with a mental health condition, often anxiety or depression¹
• 47% of patients with alopecia areata have experienced anxiety or depression⁷
• 30% of patients with atopic dermatitis, the most common type of eczema, have been diagnosed with anxiety or depression⁸
• 24% of patients with hidradenitis suppurativa have at least one mental health diagnosis⁹
• 20% of patients with psoriasis have experienced depression²

Stress and skin symptoms create a difficult cycle. Stress can trigger flare-ups, and flare-ups cause more stress. For patients with vitiligo, emotional stress has been identified as a potential trigger for new depigmentation or disease progression.¹¹ Similarly, patients with alopecia areata often report that stressful life events precede episodes of hair loss, creating a feedback loop that is hard to break.¹⁰

At an event spotlighting the patient experience, an eczema patient shared, “I always felt very alone in my eczema journey. I didn’t know anyone else was going through what I was going through. This had an impact on my mental health in many ways. I experienced a lack of sleep because the itching kept me up all night. That affected my mood, and I kept falling asleep during class. I also found myself missing out on the things I loved because of my symptoms.”

The impact of skin conditions reaches far beyond the visible, into confidence, connection and daily life. For some, it means enduring constant stares from others. "Kids would laugh and point, saying that it [vitiligo] was contagious," one person shared. For others, it means refraining from relationships altogether. As one patient put it: "My psoriasis is affecting my self-confidence greatly, especially when it comes to any form of romantic relationships."

To fully understand the impact of their disease, patients should consider the mental, emotional and social ways it shows up in their lives.

At an event, many patient advocates highlighted that it’s important for patients to recognize their symptoms and talk openly to their healthcare provider about what matters to them.

Leah Howard, President and CEO of the National Psoriasis Foundation, who also lives with psoriasis, shared, “As soon as I fully understood what was happening both on the surface of my skin and below, I decided to focus on work that I knew would make an impact — improving the outcomes for others in my community living with chronic disease.” 

It can be difficult to introduce this topic with a healthcare provider for the first time. Keeping a journal to track how skin disease affects mood and daily life can help. Details to track could include: 

• Symptoms, like the severity and location of any rashes, hair loss or skin depigmentation

• Potential triggers, such as certain foods, skincare products, weather, stress levels and sleep quality

• Medications and treatments used 

• Photos of skin and hair to track progress over time

Honest discussions with a healthcare provider can help patients move closer to their goals. But no matter how living with a skin disease makes patients feel, it's important for them to remember they are not alone, according to researchers and advocates. By understanding symptoms, they say, patients can better communicate with their healthcare providers and get the care they need.

*AbbVie is an industry sponsor of the VIPOC 'Vitiligo Patients Views' survey. Survey design, data collection, and analysis are conducted independently by VIPOC. AbbVie has no influence over survey content or outcomes.