Psoriasis is not just a chronic skin condition. It can also have a psychological impact that can feel just as bad, if not worse. This can include different types of psychological distress including depression, anxiety, and stress. Coping with the physical symptoms, managing treatment, and dealing with societal stigma or misconceptions about psoriasis can take a toll on mental well-being.
Living with the lesions is not easy. In public, people may stare or move away from the patient, fearful that they will catch what they can see from the patient. People may believe that something the patient did or failed to do resulted in psoriasis.
Many would prefer to live in ignorance instead of arming themselves with information from a myriad of health sources or even asking the patient; they would rather avoid the patient, which affects the patient’s mental health and perpetuates the stigma.
Lack of public knowledge makes it challenging for patients dealing with such painful results of ignorance, and many choose isolation over stares, separation, and stigma.
1. Depression
Unsurprisingly psoriasis and depression have a negative dual relationship. Depression can result in psoriasis, and the social stigma of psoriasis can lead to depression. This association is a “psychodermatological phenomenon”. The correlation between depression, psoriasis, and inflammation is a vicious cycle.
2. Anxiety
Although people with psoriasis have an increased likelihood of anxiety, the cyclical relationship is not only negative. It is possible that each can impact the other as well, however.
Treatment of one condition may improve the other. This one potentially positive outcome shines a bright light on the future and gives a hopeful outlook on how to address the vicious cycle of mental health and physical health for this condition.
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3. Stress
Stress may not be a direct cause. But it can cause flare-ups in those who have this chronic skin condition. This is understandable. Before going out, the patient may be consumed with thoughts about what the usually negative experience will be like, causing stress. What already is bad in terms of their psoriasis, could easily become worse in appearance and with the patient’s feelings, whether there is ignorance or not. Feeling hurt still happens.
This social stigma is what links psoriasis to a variety of psychosocial symptoms. These include guilt, shame, embarrassment, and
