3 Ways to Find Support When You Have Psoriasis

Help from humor and the Internet
Many people with psoriasis have found refuge online at sites such as:

• PsorChat, a Yahoo discussion group
• Psoriasis Help Organisation, a message board run by people with psoriasis
• The National Psoriasis Foundation's message board
• WeArePsoriasis.org, a social-networking site
• The psoriasis message board at Daily Strength, where members also create and update personal logs, journals, and goals

When Ed Dewke launched FlakeHQ in 1996 to promote his book about living with psoriasis, he was inspired by the network of readers who began contributing to it.

Hearing from others with psoriasis—some suffering much worse than he—was inspiring, says Dewke, 57, of Midway, Ky. “I don’t know whether it focused my attention on things that matter or unfocused my attention, but one way or another I appreciated it.”

Much like Dewke, who feels that “humor has been my saving grace,” Victoria Gardner Nye, 35, of Cambridge, Mass.—cofounder of an NPF–affiliated support group in Boston—derives personal strength from finding occasion to smile at her situation.

“The other day we were at a Red Sox game,” she says, “and I looked down at my hand and I noticed that there was a piece of plaque psoriasis on my finger—and I’m not kidding you—it was the most perfect heart I have ever seen.

“I thought to myself, ‘I don’t think my psoriasis loves me, but maybe this is its apology for being around for 19 years.’”

When to seek professional help
Some people with psoriasis develop depression and anxiety disorders that require specialized treatment with medication, psychotherapy, or both. In fact, researchers are exploring whether psoriasis and depression are caused by the same underlying factors, says Dr. Locala. Levels of inflammatory proteins called cytokines have been found to be elevated in both patients with psoriasis and patients with depression, which may suggest that the cytokine levels are a sign of a common biological process involved in both conditions.

If people with psoriasis feel that their depression or anxiety is intensifying, is beginning to inhibit day-to-day functioning, or is provoking thoughts of suicide or self-harm, they should ask their primary-care physician or dermatologist for information and a referral for a mental health evaluation, says Dr. Locala. Patients also can reach out to state affiliates of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the American Psychiatric Association, or the American Psychological Association to find providers—who can range from social workers, counselors, psychologists, and psychiatrists—in their area.

If patients with psoriasis decide to seek out a mental health provider on their own, Dr. Locala recommends that they inquire about the provider’s credentials and whether he or she has experience treating patients with psoriasis or similar conditions.