Anxiety and Depression in Patients with Alopecia Areata in Eskisehir, Turkey

Background: Conflicting results have emerged in studies conducted to reveal the relationship between alopecia areata (AA) and depression and anxiety. The comorbidity of depression and anxiety in patients with patchy AA who applied to a tertiary care center will be investigated and compared with a healthy control group. Methods: This study included 86 patients with AA and 85 healthy volunteers. The patients and controls completed Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BDI). Results: The average BDI of the patient group was 13.45± 8.59, while in the control group, it was 7.2± 5.7 ( p = 0.002). The average BAI of the patient group was 12.56± 8.76, while in the control group, it was 6.01± 5.87 ( p = 0.019). Depression was detected in 30.2% (n = 26) of the patients and anxiety was detected in 19.8% (n = 17) of the patients. In the control group, the rate of depression was 5.9% (n = 5) and the rate of anxiety was 7.1% (n = 6). There was a statistically significant difference between the patients and the control group in terms of depression ( p < 0.001) and anxiety ( p < 0.001). Conclusion: Depression and anxiety were more prevalent in patients with AA than in healthy volunteers. Dermatologists should keep in mind psychiatric diseases such as depression and anxiety that may accompany patients diagnosed with AA. Keywords: alopecia, alopecia areata, anxiety, Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, depression