Why Psoriatic Arthritis Increases Your Risk of Depression

Chronic conditions can be difficult to deal with, and it’s perhaps not a surprise that having one can cause stress and increase the risk of mental illnesses like depression. This is also true for psoriatic arthritis (PsA), a chronic autoimmune condition that causes joint pain and flaky skin lesions.

“Although there is an increased risk of depression amongst all autoimmune conditions, psoriatic arthritis does have one of the higher ones, if not the highest,” says Nicola Kim Berman, MD, a rheumatologist based in New York.

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Written by:

Lauren Smith, MA

Lauren Smith, MA, has worked in health journalism since 2017. Before joining GoodRx, she was the senior health editor and writer for HealthiNation.

Reviewed by:

Alexandra Schwarz, MD

Alexandra Schwarz, MD, is a board-eligible sleep medicine physician and a board-certified family medicine physician. She is a member of both the AASM and the ABFM.

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