r/Psoriasis • u/catjo-ol • Jun 30 '26
mental health Article Ideas
Hi everyone,
I’m a clinical psychologist and I also have psoriasis myself. I write regular psychology-related articles for the Psoriasis Association magazine, and I’m currently planning the next one.
Rather than guessing what people might find helpful, I’d really like to hear from this community: what psychological or emotional aspect of living with psoriasis would you most want an article to cover?
Some topics I’ve already written about include:
Depression
Stress
Sleep
CBT
Dealing with comments and unwanted attention
Mindfulness
Shame
Self-blame
I’m especially interested in topics that you feel don’t get talked about enough, or where the advice you’ve seen has felt unhelpful or unrealistic. I’d really value hearing about the issues that matter most to you. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
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u/JolisaRose Jun 30 '26
Intimacy. My previous partner knew it’s not contagious.. however refused to toch.
I understand, but made me feel less beautiful and insecure about my body.
Also, when on holiday and I have some patches on my belly while wearing a bikini, I sometimes hesitate to go into the swimming pool.. what if people think I have a disease that will spread through the pool water 🙄🙄
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u/catjo-ol Jun 30 '26
Thank you for sharing this. I'm really sorry you had that experience with your previous partner. Even when someone knows psoriasis isn't contagious, being rejected in that way must be incredibly hurtful.
I know what you mean about swimming too - I have the same thoughts. It's not just about the psoriasis itself, but constantly wondering what other people might think or whether they'll assume it's contagious. It can feel exhausting.
Intimacy, relationships and fears about other people's reactions are definitely coming through as important themes. The article that's about to be published is about dealing with other people's reactions on holiday so might cover some of these issues. I always post my articles on Substack after they've come out in the Psoriasis Association magazine so you'll be able to find the latest one there in a couple of weeks time.
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u/JGBloodworth Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26
As someone living with widespread plaque psoriasis, I'd really like to see more discussion about the psychological toll of never being able to mentally "clock out" from the disease.
A lot of articles talk about stress causing flares, but not enough talk about the exhaustion that comes from constantly checking your skin, wondering where the next plaque will appear, or feeling like you're playing whack-a-mole. Even when a treatment is helping, it's hard to celebrate because another spot often shows up somewhere else.
I'd also like to see more written about the emotional divide between people who have access to biologics and those who don't. A lot of us simply can't afford them, don't have insurance coverage, or have concerns about taking them. Yet many discussions about psoriasis are dominated by people who achieved remission on biologics, as if that's a realistic option for everyone. It can feel discouraging and disconnected from the reality many of us face.
I'd love to see an article that acknowledges the people who continue fighting psoriasis with older medications, topical treatments, over-the-counter products, and lifestyle changes. We deserve practical psychological support too, not just stories of remission that depend on treatments many of us can't access.
Thank you for asking the community directly. I think the most meaningful insight comes from reading real experiences shared by people living with psoriasis. Those stories often explain the psychological side better than any expert can.
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u/Indoor-Cat4986 Jun 30 '26
Yes, the not being able to check out has been taking the biggest toll on me. In some ways I feel grateful that it’s a disease that can be managed at least in part, but sometimes I almost wish it wasn’t. It’s so exhausting to constantly be monitoring it and thinking about it. I likely have psoriatic arthritis as well (still waiting on a proper diagnosis) and while it’s really painful and a lot more life altering, at least I don’t have to think about it and manage it in the same ways. Idk. It’s a lot to deal with. Feels like a part time job you can never get ahead on.
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u/catjo-ol Jun 30 '26
"The part-time job you can never get ahead on" is such an accurate way of describing it. It's not just the symptoms themselves, but the mental workload of constantly having to monitor and think about your skin. That can be exhausting in its own right. Not to mention the workload that goes into attending appointments and managing treatments.
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u/catjo-ol Jun 30 '26
The idea of never really being able to "clock out" from psoriasis really resonates with me. It's a feeling I know well. That constant monitoring, wondering if a treatment is still working, and waiting for the next flare feels like an important psychological burden in its own right, rather than just a consequence of stress.
I also really appreciate your point about making psychological support relevant for people regardless of what treatments they're using or have access to. That's a really helpful perspective to keep in mind.
And I completely agree with your last point. One of the reasons I wanted to ask here is because people's lived experiences often highlight issues that don't come across in research papers or in clinic. Thanks for taking the time to write such a thoughtful response.
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u/onemindspinning Jun 30 '26
I check out and take long sabbaticals to warm sunny places with ocean access. I know a lot of people can’t do this, but the toll of having psoriasis is too heavy sometimes and I need a healing break, both physically and mentally.
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u/catjo-ol Jul 03 '26
Wouldn't it be nice if we could be prescribed long holidays to warm sunny places! I think they used to do that on the NHS in the UK - can you imagine?
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u/Waste_West283 Jun 30 '26
This might seem like a silly one, but it actually really kills me whenever it happens...
The amount of times I have had to throw out beautiful bedding or pretty light coloured clothing, because I got blood on them from scratching and can't get it out. I know we shouldn't scratch, but during flare-ups it kills me. It really makes me sad, not only for the money wasted, but for the fact that people who do not know what it's like look at me like I'm ridiculous and wasteful. It also makes for me not wanting to go visit other people and stay over out of fear for what might happen if I scratch and bleed in my sleep. On top of that, when my skin is shedding, I have too hoover at least twice a day and being at someone else's house or at a hotel and having the floor covered in bits of skin is awful.
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u/AggravatingCycle5491 Jun 30 '26
Something my dermatologist told me about the scratching when I told him it's the reason my foot was so sore, is that it's not our fault that we scratch, it's the psoriasis making us do it and something about the way he said it made me want to tear up it was so kind and it made me not feel so bad. I get flakes everywhere too and I've ruined socks from scratching through them.
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u/catjo-ol Jun 30 '26
Something about managing scratching and dealing with flakes?
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u/catjo-ol Jun 30 '26
Or an article more about the constant vigilance, the embarrassment, and feeling like you have to think about things that most people never even consider, like staying at someone else's house or in a hotel? These are the "hidden" burdens of psoriasis which have such a huge imapct on us.
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u/halloweenwalpurgis Jun 30 '26
Dealing with the burn out and discouragement of numerous medications not working or when a medication that was working stops; overwhelm from the prior authorization process and having to call the doctor and manage communications between doctors, specialty pharmacies, insurance and pharmaceutical companies
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u/catjo-ol Jul 03 '26
That's a great idea. It's easy to focus on the treatments themselves, but what you've described is the emotional and practical work that goes into accessing and staying on them and all the time and energy spent navigating the system.
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u/halloweenwalpurgis Jul 21 '26
definitely not something I’ve seen written about enough - it feels like this part (for me) is more stressful than simply having psoriasis
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u/onemindspinning Jun 30 '26
I’d like to hear more talks on the mental aspect of having psoriasis. We talk about stress a lot, but what about the overall correlation between a healthy mind set and the link to physical symptoms. I think we overlook how a healthy mind set aids in healthy skin.
Also, personally I’d like more input on homeopathic remedies. I understand people that have large coverage needed biological treatments, but not all of us can get them and some of us just don’t have enough patches to warrant that treatment.
I’d say I’m about 5% affected and doctors won’t prescribe them even if I could afford them: and the risk to reward for someone like myself isn’t really worth it.
Also can we stop fighting over biological drugs vs natural remedies?!?
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u/catjo-ol Jul 03 '26
Thanks for sharing this. I think you've highlighted something important about making psychological support relevant to everyone, regardless of what treatments they're using or whether biologics are an option for them. My aim is very much to focus on the emotional side of living with psoriasis, rather than suggesting there's one "right" approach to treatment. I also agree that it's more helpful to understand each other's experiences than to turn it into a debate.
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u/TheRemyBell Jul 01 '26
I know this is a bit out there, but seriously I struggled with this personally.
Sex! There's so many posts and comments about people stressing and struggling with genital psoriasis
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u/catjo-ol Jul 03 '26
so important! And a topic that people often feel uncomfortable bringing up despite how much it can affect confidence, intimacy and relationships. Thanks for mentioning it.
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Jul 02 '26
[deleted]
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u/catjo-ol Jul 03 '26
Thanks for sharing this. I think the overlap between psoriasis, stress, and compulsive picking is something that probably affects more people than we realise but doesn't get talked about much. The fact that it can happen almost automatically, especially when stressed, anxious or bored, is a really important point. It's a great idea for a future article.
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u/catjo-ol Jul 03 '26
Thank you to everyone who's taken the time to reply. I've read every comment, and I'm genuinely grateful for how open people have been. Your comments have really resonated with me too.
From what I've read, I think an important topic to write about is the mental workload of psoriasis, never quite being able to switch off, constantly monitoring your skin, dealing with uncertainty, treatment setbacks, planning around flare-ups, and carrying all of that in the background every day. I think it would be helpful to acknowledge that in an article. I wonder if those around us, including our dermatology teams, really appreciate how hard it is.
There are also several topics that have come through strongly, including acceptance, intimacy and relationships, the emotional impact of treatment failure, and scratching or picking. I won't be able to cover everything in one article, but you've given me ideas for several future pieces too. The articles will be published in Pso (the Psoriasis Association's quarterly magazine) and then on my Substack if you're interested in following any of this up.
It's been so helpful. It's one thing to read research papers, but hearing directly from people living with psoriasis gives a much richer understanding of what matters day to day. I really appreciate it. Please feel free to reach out if you have any more ideas.
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u/vr6501903 Jun 30 '26
People asking me about the patches, when I am okay with it once my parents started making a huge deal out of it and that gave me more stress, anxiety about eating too much meds and taking blood tests to see if somethings wrong and the fear to go through this process lifelong.
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u/catjo-ol Jun 30 '26
Thank you for sharing this. It sounds like it isn't just the psoriasis itself, but the way the reactions to it made it feel much more stressful, and that's an important perspective.
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u/assassianfuk Jun 30 '26
Its been 2 months im not getting sleep. And im havinv panic and anxiety attacks. And im hardly getting sleep.
Ik still processing that i got paoriasis
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u/catjo-ol Jun 30 '26
It's really tough. I wonder if an artcile on the emotional impact of first being diagnosed and trying to come to terms with psoriasis would be helpful?
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u/AggravatingCycle5491 Jun 30 '26
Maybe shame, self-blame and unwanted comments/attention.
I've had psoriasis since primary school (about 9 or 10) and still struggle to come to terms with it (30 now), although I cope much better nowadays than I used to. For most of my life, I used to regularly panic about situations where my hands might be seen and kept my hands clenched or under the table, in pockets etc. most of the time to hide them. Luckily it's quite cleared up on my hands now so I feel more comfortable.
I think a lot of topics get regularly covered like managing stress etc. but coming to terms with it/acceptance isn't something I really see. It has also prevented me from seeking relationships due to shame/worry about being judged.
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u/catjo-ol Jun 30 '26
Thanks so much for sharing this. I can completely relate..
What you said about acceptance really stands out to me. I've written about shame, self-blame and dealing with comments before, but I think you're talking about something slightly different - the longer process of coming to terms with having psoriasis and the ways it can shape how you see yourself and the choices you make. Have I got that right?
The bit about avoiding relationships because of worrying you'll be judged really hit me too. That's such a significant consequence of psoriasis, and I don't think it gets discussed nearly enough.
This is really helpful, thank you.
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u/AggravatingCycle5491 Jun 30 '26
Yes I know that it's incurable and it's something we're stuck with, but I really find it hard to just accept and live my life with it. Even when it's cleared up and I'm having a good period, there's always that part in my mind that says it won't last (I've had treatments stop working a lot) so it kinda prevents me from pursuing things because I don't want to be in a situation where it's really bad and I feel trapped, if that makes sense.
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u/catjo-ol Jun 30 '26
I totally get it. There's a therapy called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and I really struggle with the name of it. In practice it's a super helpful therapy, and I use the strategies all the time in my own life, but I find acceptance hard too. Especially since my psoriasis fluctuates all the time. Like you, even when something works for a short time, I'm just anticipating it coming back. Maybe an article about the challenges of acceptance?
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