People With Eczema Are 36% More Likely to Attempt Suicide - Article Health

Eczema, also called atopic dermatitis, is an inflammatory skin disease that affects 18 million adults (and lots of children, as well) in the United States. Ask anyone who suffers from the itchy, chronic condition and they’ll tell you it can be unpleasant at best, and debilitating at worst.

Now, research published in JAMA Dermatology highlights just how much of a psychological burden people with eczema can carry. According to a review and meta-analysis of 15 previous studies and more than 300,000 atopic dermatitis patients, eczema sufferers were 44% more likely to have suicidal thoughts—and 36% more likely to attempt suicide—compared to their peers without the disease.

Only two of the studies in the review looked at the prevalence of completed suicides in eczema patients versus a control group, but their findings were contradictory: One found an increased risk among people with eczema, while the other found no significant difference in the two groups.

Previously, the evidence for a link between eczema and suicide has been inconclusive, according to the authors of the new review. What was clear, however, is that eczema can take a serious physical and mental toll.

“Because of the visibility of the disease, patients may experience shame, embarrassment, and stigmatization,” the researchers wrote in their paper. They can also suffer from persistent itching, burning, and dry skin, and may even develop painful blisters and sores.

Children with eczema perform worse in academics compared to those without, studies show, while adults with eczema fare worse at work. The disease has also been associated with depression and anxiety, as well as asthma, allergies, sleep disturbances, and other physical health problems.

But can eczema really be so bad that people actually try to take their own lives? It’s possible, say researchers. In fact, a woman in China killed herself—and her parents—last year, writing in a suicide note that her eczema made her feel she’d be “better dead than alive.”

Of course, the type and severity of eczema can vary: Some people have just small patches of dry skin, can control their symptoms with topical medications, and aren’t bothered regularly by flare-ups. Others can have persistent and hard-to-treat rashes covering much of their body.

One study included in the review compared suicidal ideations in eczema patients of varying severities, and it did find a big difference: Those with severe eczema had a much higher likelihood of suicidal thoughts (19.6%) compared to those with mild eczema (0.21%).

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