Acne Problems May Raise Suicide Risk

People who have received treatment for severe acne may be at higher risk of committing suicide, according to a study published recently by Swedish researchers. The depression was linked more to the skin condition than to the drugs used for treatment according to researchers at the Karolinska Insitutite. They have studied data for 6,000 people that were prescribed the drug Isotretinoin between 1980 and 1989.

Isotretinoin is also sold as Accutane, Roaccutane, Decutan, Clarus and a few other names. It has been the common medication prescribed to treat cases of serious acne since the 1980s.

However, scientists consider that the mental health problems of patients suffering from severe acne were the most probable explanations for the higher suicide risk and not the drug treatment itself.

Severe acne should not be considered a trivial condition according to the Swedish researchers. Although acne related suicide attempts are rare, patients might feel depressed even if their acne improve after treatment if they do not experience major improvements in their social lives.