Severity of depression and anxiety in patients with alopecia areata in Bandar Abbas, Iran

Alopecia areata (AA) is a chronic disease which esthetic outcomes may result in deep effects on mental disorders of patients. In this case-control study, we compared the mental health of 68 patients diagnosed with AA with 68 healthy individuals using Hamilton anxiety and depression rating scales. There were significant differences between the case and control groups regarding the prevalence of anxiety and depression. The means of anxiety scores in cases and control group were 12.76±7.21 vs 8.54±6.37, P=0.003. Likewise, the means of depression scores for the groups were 12.84±4.03 vs 6.22±4.95, P=0.001. Furthermore, patients with AA were exposed to depression approximately five times and to anxiety about three times more than normal people. Our study revealed a high prevalence of anxiety and depression in AA patients. Dermatologists should pay more attention on psychological effect of the disease on the patients.