Bad acne is influencing minds of young people giving them reason to attempt suicide, according to a new study.

The research was led by Peter Watson at Auckland University and its results have been published in the Journal of Pediatrics and Child Health. It revealed that 34 per cent of young people who had an acne problem had thought about killing themselves while 13 per cent had attempted suicide.

Dr Watson said, "There is now increasing recognition of the association of skin disease with mental health."

"At this age young people are developing a sense of identity and self-worth, and so they are potentially vulnerable to any adverse psychological effects associated with acne."

9570 New Zealand secondary school students provided the data required for this study.

Students with problem acne reported high rates of suicidal thoughts (34 per cent), depressive symptoms (24 per cent), anxiety (9 per cent) and suicide attempts (13 per cent).

However no link was found between depressive symptoms and anxiety in relation to gender, ethnicity, or age.

Dr Watson said, "The association of problem acne with suicide attempts is independent of anxiety and depressive symptoms."

"Our data suggest that doctors who see young people with problematic acne have a particularly important role to play in screening these young people for depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts and behavior.

Source-Medindia
NLA