Assessment of depression in subjects with psoriasis vulgaris and lichen planus.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of depressive symptoms in psoriasis vulgaris and lichen planus and to evaluate the relationship between the Beck depression scores and the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) scores of subjects with psoriasis vulgaris.


METHODS
The study involved 120 subjects attending the dermatology clinic of Izmir Ataturk Training Hospital (Izmir, Turkey) and comprised 50 subjects with psoriasis vulgaris, 30 with lichen planus and 40 healthy control subjects.


RESULTS
Subjects with psoriasis vulgaris, lichen planus and controls had depression scores of 58%, 53% and 20%, respectively. The Beck depression scores of patients with psoriasis vulgaris were significantly higher than those of the control group. The PASI scores showed a correlation with Beck depression scores. Smoking and drinking were very common in subjects with psoriasis vulgaris. There was no correlation between the duration of illness and depressive symptoms.


CONCLUSIONS
This study confirms the importance of depressive symptoms in two common dermatological diseases. It is important to recognize this association as it affects both clinical outlook and response to treatment.
Akay
A
A
Department of Dermatology, Izmir Ataturk Training Hospital, Turkey. hakay@superonline.com
Pekcanlar
A
A
Bozdag
K E
KE
Altintas
L
L
Karaman
A
A
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008010:Lichen Planus / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011788:Quality of Life; D012016:Reference Values; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology