Patients with mental health problems and skin conditions may be more likely to have worse outcomes, including suicide and depression, scientists have discovered.
The results of the study may help identify patients at risk and allocate appropriate psychological treatment for their condition.
The study was conducted by researchers from the Gregorio Marañon Institute for Health Research, in the Spanish capital, Madrid, and the results of this study were presented at the meeting of the European Committee for Psychiatry, which was held between October 11 and 14 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and the Eurick Alert website wrote about it.
The researchers studied 481 patients suffering from a first psychotic episode, which is the first time an individual experiences a psychotic episode, such as losing touch with reality, hallucinations, and delusions.
When conducting tests, the researchers found that 14.5% of them suffered from skin symptoms such as rash, itching, sensitivity to light, and others.
All patients received 4 weeks of antipsychotic treatment and were then examined for a range of mental health parameters.
A pre-indicator of danger
“After 4 weeks of follow-up, patients who had had a first psychotic episode with skin disease had higher levels of depression and suicide risk,” said lead researcher Dr. Joaquín Galván from the Gregorio Marañon Health Research Institute. “We found that only 7% of patients without primary skin disease had suicidal thoughts or attempts, while about 25% of patients had Those who suffered from primary skin diseases, suicidal thoughts or attempts.
He added: “Skin diseases are associated with worsening depression and a decline in health status during the follow-up period. This finding indicates that the presence of skin diseases indicates that these patients are more likely to have worse outcomes than patients without skin diseases after a first psychotic episode.”
The researchers point out that if this result is confirmed, it may constitute a pre-indicator of mental health risks, just as a blood test may indicate a greater risk of cancer or heart disease.
Dr. Galvan continued, “It was known that between 30% and 60% of people with skin diseases showed psychological symptoms. What we did was look at things from a different perspective: Do people with mental health problems suffer from skin diseases? And if so, can this help us?”
The findings suggest that skin symptoms may represent a predictor of illness severity and poor short-term outcome in the early stages of psychosis, and this may identify a subgroup of patients with a poorer clinical prognosis who may benefit from early tailored interventions.