How does having vitiligo affect the mental state?

How does having vitiligo affect the mental state?

How does having vitiligo affect the mental state?

answer
Having a chronic illness is hard. It can be rough on your body, but it can also be rough on your mind. In fact, people with chronic illnesses are significantly more likely to experience mental illness than the general population. So what about people with vitiligo?

Vitiligo is an autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks the melanocytes—the cells that produce pigment—in the skin. This results in patches of white skin and hair. It doesn’t sound like it should affect your mental state, does it? But it does.

People with vitiligo are twice as likely to be depressed as the general population. In fact, some researchers think that this may be because of their appearance and not just because they have a chronic illness. People with vitiligo have a higher rate of suicidal ideation than those who are depressed but do not have vitiligo. Unfortunately, despite these facts, there is not much research that has been done on how having vitiligo affects mental health or what treatments may help.

So what can someone with vitiligo do? The best thing to do if you think you’re depressed and you have vitiligo is to talk to someone—a friend or family member, or a counselor or therapist