Psychological Effects of Acne
By John Scott
Acne and acne treatment have a very profound psychological aspect for the patient. Learn more about the psychological effects of acne and the impact it hase on the whole patient's life.
Acne is a chronic skin condition, which is common among younger adults who are most sensitive from the psychological point of view. Acne vulgaris, or as we simply call it acne, is considered by most people as a mere superficial disease, but it has a much deeper impact on the person. It is definitely not as traumatizing as serious diseases like cancer, but from the emotional and psychological standpoint the effects are quite profound an may the entire life of an individual.
Studies show that the degree of acne severity doesn’t have a direct link to the severity of psychological effects. The most common psychological issue with acne patients is depression. And the test have shown that those with moderate cases of acne suffer from the exact same level of depression severity as those with more serious cases of the disease. Another interesting aspect is that young adults are typically more affected by the condition, compared to adolescents.
The both observations can be linked to the fact that the unsuccessful treatments of acne produce a sort of stigma in the patient’s conciousness, which they believe to be a sort of negative social mark. In our modern society where visual appearance plays a very important role, acne becomes more than just a medical problem. It affects the communication channels of the individual, quite often from his/her own initiative.
Especially when it comes to communicating with the opposite gender, acne may seem like a barrier. Patients believe that they aren’t pleasant to communicate with, even disgusting. This leads to a more introverted behaviour and problems in socializing. Which are very close to depression. Obvious signs of depression are loss of mood, body weight fluctuation, change in appetite and sleep patterns, negative feelings and emotions, thoughts of death and even suicide. The motoric functions are also affected with the person being easily agitated or otherwise very drowsy.
n most cases adolescents and young adults start consuming alcohol and drugs to eliminate their psychological problems, but it only makes it worse. In most severe cases, acne can lead to social phobia. The desire to minimize all social contacts, fearing that acne will be regarded disgusting and the person will not be desired in the socium, is quite often observed in patients with severe stages. Thus, acne is far from a mere skin condition, it’s much more to that.
It not only affects the appearance of a person, but also his/her overall quality of life, self-esteem, self-confidence and the overall point of view. So improvements in treating acne can reverse this process, that’s why many patients seeing the results of an effective treatment can be very enthusiastic. We can often see such fluctuations during Accutane treatment of acne, as well as other types of treatment. And both patients and doctors should be aware of these psychological aspects.
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