Eczema and Mental Health
Although eczema is most commonly associated with the rashes and itchiness it causes, people who live with eczema often experience symptoms that are more than just skin-deep. In particular, eczema has been linked to negative mental health outcomes for the people who suffer from it.
How Eczema Impacts Mental Health
Research has proven that there's a clear association between eczema and anxiety and eczema and depression. People who live with eczema are more likely to experience depression and anxiety. This is due to the sometimes profound negative impacts that eczema can have on people's quality of life and overall well-being.
There are a number of reasons for this. To begin with, itchiness and discomfort caused by eczema can cause sleeplessness, which can increase an individual's risk for depression. The unpredictability of eczema can lead to feelings of anxiety. Parents may feel helpless to relieve their child’s suffering or guilty that they passed on the condition to their offspring. Moreover, people with visible eczema may feel shame or embarrassment due to their appearance. This, in turn, might lead to social isolation, which can cause or exacerbate mental health problems.
In a recent GPER podcast, we spent some time unpacking the relationship between eczema and mental health. Katrina Abuabara, a professor at the University of California San Francisco, noted that, "Increasingly, we're understanding that eczema is not just a skin condition, but it's a systemic inflammatory disorder that can impact many parts of the body. There's a number of reasons why we've done research to look at the association between eczema and mental health: there's the discomfort that comes from the itching and the pain, uncertainty of not knowing what the future may hold, the impact of undergoing treatments and going to doctor's visits, the impact on social interactions, lifestyle factors like diet or ability to exercise, and just stress itself from having all of these things happen." She also cited a recent study, which showed that children with moderate to severe eczema were twice as likely to have depression as their peers.
And the mental health impacts of eczema aren't just limited to the people who live with the disease. Parents, caregivers, or other family members can also feel the effects. Particularly for the parents of children who struggle with eczema, it can be difficult to cope with the feelings of hopelessness, sadness, and ineffectiveness that come with not being able to help their child feel better. Fortunately, GPER offers a free support program for parents, available to any caregiver, anywhere. Learn more here.
How Mental Health Impacts Eczema
The relationship between mental health and eczema goes both ways. While stress and anxiety don't cause eczema, they can exacerbate or trigger it. Stress and anxiety both stimulate production of cortisol, a natural hormone. However, the presence of too much cortisol (such as the levels present in people who experience chronic stress) can trigger an eczema flare-up. Stress may also prolong an existing eczema outbreak, or make it more difficult for your body to heal.
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Global Parents for Eczema Research (GPER) is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 2015 by parents of children with eczema. Frustrated by the lack of evidence-based information and resources around eczema and eczema treatments, they created GPER in an effort to support eczema research and advocate for evidence-based medical decision-making for parents. Our offerings include support and resources for eczema caregivers, research, and public policy work to improve care and treatments for people with eczema. Sign up for our newsletter today to learn more about how we can help you on your eczema journey! Like what we do? Considering donating to GPER. :)
