Researchers associate acne and mental distress in adolescents.

Following a Time story, MedWire (9/18, Albert) reported that, according to a study published Sept. 16 in the journal BMC Public Health, researchers from the University of Oslo “found a consistent association between presence of acne and mental distress — anxiety and depression — in both adolescent boys and girls.” The team arrived at this conclusion after evaluating “a group of 3,775 Norwegian adolescents aged 18-19 years.” While “the presence of acne was self-reported by the participants,” the investigators “used the Hopkins Symptom Checklist 10 to measure mental distress, while diet and lifestyle factors were recorded using a questionnaire.” They found that “boys with acne consumed 40 percent and 54 percent more chocolate/sweets and potato chips, respectively, than boys without the condition,” and “were also 63 percent more likely to suffer from mental distress.”

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