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The following is a summary of “Completed suicide in patients with skin disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis,” published in the March 2025 issue of Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology by Stancic et al. 

Several skin diseases have been linked to suicidality, but the association with completed suicide remains unclear. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the risk of completed suicide in adults with skin diseases.  

They searched across the PubMed, Embase, and PsycINFO databases from inception to June 2023. Studies were included if they were published in English, involved at least 10 adults (age ≥18 years), and examined the association between skin diseases and death by suicide. Only original research meeting these criteria was considered for analysis.  

The results showed that 37 studies met the inclusion criteria, and a random-effects model accounted for interstudy variations. The meta-analysis (MA) included 13 skin diseases, with data from 17 population-based high-quality studies analyzing 3,800,748 individuals with skin diseases and over 33,722,675 controls. Each condition was assessed separately, for psoriasis, 6 studies were analyzed (odds ratio [OR]: 1.42, 95% confidence interval [CI] [0.76; 2.68]), showing no association. Dermatitis was estimated in 5 studies (OR: 1.54, 95% CI [0.57; 4.17]), and no association was found, 4 studies identified an association between melanoma and suicide (standardized mortality rate [SMR]: 2.89, 95% CI [1.97; 3.81]). In non-melanoma skin cancer, 2 studies showed an increased suicide risk among female individuals (SMR: 1.30, 95% CI [1.12; 1.49]). Hidradenitis suppurativa was examined in 2 studies, revealing a positive relation with suicide (OR: 2.86, 95% CI [1.56; 5.24]).  

Investigators concluded that physicians should consider suicidality in dermatological disease management, particularly for patients with hidradenitis suppurativa and melanoma. 

Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jdv.20609