Evaluation of quality of life levels of anxiety and depression in patients with seborrheic dermatitis

Aim: The purpose of this research is to evaluate the levels of anxiety and depression and to improve the life quality of seborrheic dermatitis patients.Material and method: This experiment is conducted with 50 volunteered patients who have been diagnosed for seborrheic dermatitis but do not have any other systemic illnesses, in the Department of Skin and Venereal Diseases Clinic in the Farabi Hospital at Karadeniz Technical University. 50 healthy subjects are chosen randomly from the hospital staff and their relatives who do not have any systemic illnesses and have the same sociodemographic (age, sex, education, maritial status, occupation etc.) characteristics as control group. The patients group tested with Dermatological Life Quality Index (DLQI), and the patients and control group both tested on the Beck Depression Scale and Beck Anxiety Scale.Results: There was no reasonable difference between seborrheic dermatitis patients and the control group in terms of their ages, sex, marital statutes and educational levels. In one half (%50) of the patients it was identified that their quality of life was slightly affected or not affected at all, in the other half (%50) of the patients it was identified that their quality of life was affected reasonably or greatly. The disorder in life quality was higher in single patients than the married ones. Anxiety and depression levels were higher in ratio in seborrheic dermatitis patients whose qualities of life were negatively affected. Besides, there was a positive correlation present between the levels of anxiety and depression.Conclusions: This study, shows that seborrheic dermatitis affects the quality of life negatively, anxiety and depression levels are high as how the deformation of life quality is high. According to these results we think that knowing the psychlogical symptoms of illness and dealing with these symptoms are important. Whether to increase the life quality of patients, or to get a well response from this illness in a good manner.Key words: Anxiety, Depression, Seborrheic dermatitis, Quality of life