3 Ways to Find Support When You Have Psoriasis

Living with a skin condition like psoriasis can be a very isolating experience. Most people don't know much about it. Some worry that the disease is contagious and make rude or ignorant comments. And even people who do understand psoriasis may still not appreciate how it affects your life.

“Almost any patient with psoriasis will have an emotional response to the condition,” says Joseph Locala, MD, an associate professor of psychiatry at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland and a psychiatrist at the university’s Murdough Family Center for Psoriasis. People living with it often experience sadness, anger, and isolation, and some may even suffer from depression and anxiety disorders.

But experts say that developing coping skills­—with the help of a support group, a mental health provider, or a doctor—has helped many people with psoriasis live happier, more comfortable lives.

Connecting with others who are in the same boat
“I think some people would feel like they’re drowning if they didn’t have [the group],” says Roy Poucher, 59, of Anaheim, Calif., who facilitates four support groups in his state.

Groups like Poucher's, many of which can be found through the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF), dot the country and offer a variety of benefits.

Gatherings can be a time for venting and swapping experiences about therapies, doctors, and insurance companies. Some meetings involve presentations by dermatologists or hypnotherapists, or strategies for disease education and advocacy events. Others are purely social.

P.J. Leary, 48, of Raleigh, N.C., leads a support group too. Now she organizes field trips to barbershops and salons for haircuts, manicures, pedicures, and massages. The goal, she says, is to help members get over their initial unease and introduce them to service providers “who are very well-informed about psoriasis and don’t make people feel bad.”

For Elaine Grandoit, 61, of Arlington, Mass., being part of a support group in Boston provides a “sense of solidarity, of just being with other people who know what you’re up against.” She has fought mild or moderate psoriasis since the age of 20 and began attending group meetings two years ago. “Some of the time we’re not even talking about our skin,” she says. “We talk about life.”