Psoriasis
Psoriasis is fairly common and you may have seen an increase in people online discussing its impacts beyond the physical.
Can psoriasis cause mental health conditions?
Psoriasis is a systemic inflammatory disease affecting 2% of the population. It products unsightly, scaly, itchy, red plaques on the skin and can also cause arthritic, inflamed joints. Many individuals with psoriasis report feelings of embarrassment, helplessness, and depression.
They also describe difficulty sleeping, having to alter their daily routines, avoiding social activities, and difficulties with their choice of clothing due to their disease. In a recent National Psoriasis Foundation Survey, nearly 80% of psoriasis patients reported that their disease negatively affected their life.
“All of these factors affect an individual’s ability to pursue valued life goals. The emotional burden of carrying such a stigma can lead to a significant decline in a patient’s overall well-being.”
What are the mental health conditions that psoriasis patients often suffer with?
“Similar to other inflammatory skin conditions, psoriasis has been associated with increased rates of anxiety and depression. However, patients with psoriasis also have considerable decrements in their physical functioning comparable to patients with other major medical conditions including cancer, arthritis, heart disease, and diabetes.”
They can suffer with psoriatic arthritis, which causes joint destruction, pain, and disability. Recent therapies, including biologic medications, have been shown to improve not only the physical signs and symptoms of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, but also patient’s mental health and health-related quality of life.
Eczema
Eczema is another skin condition that can cause difficulty for those with it.
How does stress impact eczema and other skin conditions?
Eczema is characterized by severely dry, tight, red, itchy skin that can cause sleep disturbances, loss of self-esteem, loss of self-confidence, and an overall severe “discomfort in one’s own skin”.
“Stress, whether it be physical or emotional, can cause exacerbations of many different types of skin conditions, particularly eczema. When we experience stressful situations, our body produces stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, which can in turn affect how well our immune system is able to control inflammation.”
How do others impact the emotional well-being of patients with eczema?
Have you ever wondered why someone might choose to wear long sleeves and long pants in the middle of a heat wave in the summer? Or why a friend of yours never wants to visit the beach?
“Believe it or not, many individuals with chronic skin diseases report having been asked to leave public places such as a community recreation center or pool when their condition was mistaken for something contagious. While you may be curious, it is critically important to be supportive of friends and family with chronic skin diseases.”
If you, your child, or someone close to you has experienced some of the following symptoms for two weeks or longer, they may have depression and should consult a health care provider as soon as possible: feelings of sadness, anxiousness, or hopelessness, loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities, loss of energy, feeling tired more often, difficulty concentrating, difficulty sleeping, weight loss, or thoughts of death or suicide.
Even though we have spent a great deal of time talking about how chronic skin disease and mental health issues can go hand-in-hand, it is most important to note that patients experience tremendous improvements in all of these symptoms, physical and mental, with proper treatment. If you are suffering, please don’t wait, reach out to a dermatologist close to you to discuss options. There are many. It just might change your life.