This study examines the relative contribution of factors associated with anxious and depressed mood, and clinical anxiety and depression in SLE. Eighty sequentially consenting patients attending a rheumatology outpatient clinic were assessed on measures of anxiety and depression; disease activity; presence of autoantibodies; neuropsychological performance; and psychological and social factors. Mood and mood disorders were found to be unrelated to measures of disease activity but were found to be associated with psychological and social factors. These findings emphasise the importance of psychosocial factors in attempts to understand mood and psychological distress in SLE.