Health Boards
Tue-25-10-2011, 11:13 AM
ALL PSORIASIS sufferers should be provided with psychological support for their condition, a new campaign will claim.
The Under the Spotlight campaign, a joint initiative between the International Federation of Psoriasis Associations and the Psoriasis Association of Ireland, aims to highlight the psychological effects of the condition.
Studies have shown that the condition also has a debilitating psychological effect on sufferers. Psoriasis can be brought on by stress and is often exacerbated by it.
Dr Kate Russo, principal clinical psychologist at Queens University Belfast, said the international evidence showed that nearly all psoriasis patients experienced psychological trauma too.
Dr Russo said there were not enough co-ordinated services for people with psoriasis, and that GPs were left with the burden of care in the Republic.
“In the UK, there are more clinical pathways for psoriasis sufferers. It is easy to think of it on the surface as it is just a skin condition, but it has huge effect on how you see yourself as a person and how you relate to other people. It can cause people to be isolated from each other,” she said.
She explained that the impact on the disease necessitated psychosocial care as part of the management of the condition.
Source: irishtimes.com
The Under the Spotlight campaign, a joint initiative between the International Federation of Psoriasis Associations and the Psoriasis Association of Ireland, aims to highlight the psychological effects of the condition.
Studies have shown that the condition also has a debilitating psychological effect on sufferers. Psoriasis can be brought on by stress and is often exacerbated by it.
Dr Kate Russo, principal clinical psychologist at Queens University Belfast, said the international evidence showed that nearly all psoriasis patients experienced psychological trauma too.
Dr Russo said there were not enough co-ordinated services for people with psoriasis, and that GPs were left with the burden of care in the Republic.
“In the UK, there are more clinical pathways for psoriasis sufferers. It is easy to think of it on the surface as it is just a skin condition, but it has huge effect on how you see yourself as a person and how you relate to other people. It can cause people to be isolated from each other,” she said.
She explained that the impact on the disease necessitated psychosocial care as part of the management of the condition.
Source: irishtimes.com