"Nearly all teenagers have some pimples, and up to one in five will develop a moderate to severe case of acne." In the study, "which was funded by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health" and published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, "the researchers surveyed nearly 4,000 teens ages 18 or 19." Fourteen "percent of the teens reported having 'a lot' or 'very much' acne." The study found that "nearly 25 percent of the teens with 'very much' acne said they'd had thoughts of suicide, compared with 11 percent of the study participants overall."

But, "it's not clear whether having bad skin makes teens depressed, or whether some other underlying condition links depression with acne," reported the Time (9/16, Melnick). "Considering that depression can cause poor self-esteem and sometimes even body dysmorphia, it's also possible that depressed teens would self-report 'substantial' acne more often than their peers." In other words, "depression could fuel poor body image, which could cause a teenager to believe that his acne is worse than it is."

Meanwhile, Reuters (9/16, Kelland), citing the Norwegian researchers behind the study, wrote the results suggest that concerns over Roche's acne-treating drug Accutane being potentially responsible for depression may have been inflated. That's because the condition itself is now being linked to depression suicidal thoughts, rather than the medicine.

In "addition to 'suicidal ideation' -- contemplating suicide at times, but not necessarily carrying it out -- they were more than twice as likely to lack friends, 51 percent likelier never to have had sex and 41 percent likelier to do poorly at school," noted AFP (9/16). HealthDay (9/16, Preidt) also covered the news.