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Arthritis

Why Psoriatic Arthritis Increases Your Risk of Depression

Lauren Smith, MASanjai Sinha, MD
Written by Lauren Smith, MA | Reviewed by Sanjai Sinha, MD
Updated on January 16, 2026
Featuring Nicola Berman, MDReviewed by Sanjai Sinha, MD | January 16, 2026

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.

References

Liu, Y.Z., et al. (2017). Inflammation: the common pathway of stress-related diseases. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.

National Psoriasis Foundation. (2023). Related conditions of psoriasis.

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Lauren Smith, MA
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.
Sanjai Sinha, MD
Reviewed by:
Sanjai Sinha, MD
Sanjai Sinha, MD, is a board-certified physician with over 20 years of experience. He specializes in internal medicine.

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