Transcript
Announcer:
Welcome to DermConsult on ReachMD. On this episode, we’ll learn about how we can address stigma in visible skin diseases like psoriasis with Dr. Margo Gkini. She’s a consultant dermatologist at Barts Health NHS Trust in London, as well as an Honorary Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary University. Let’s hear from Dr. Gkini now.
Dr. Gkini:
Stigma around visible diseases like psoriasis can manifest through false beliefs of contagion, leading to public avoidance, exclusion from services, and even workplace discrimination. And this external stigma actually heavily impacts the mental health of patients. It can drive social withdrawal, anxiety, and deep internalized shame in our patients with psoriasis. So what happens is many of our patients are just staying at home. Many of them are homebound because of the visibility of their skin lesions.
Also, we need to look at the different perspectives in different societies. At least in our hospital, we have a very diverse population. So what we are seeing is that in some communities, the stigma is still significant, and the stigma can affect the person and the family. It can affect the potential for marriage; recently, a young woman came to me desperate and crying during the consultation. Why? Because she was worried that her wedding was going to be canceled because she developed psoriasis. So we need to look at the stigma a bit more, address the stigma, and actually see what we can do best for our patients.
What we need to do is actually support the psoriasis advocacy groups. There are many different advocacy groups in different countries. There is also a key organization called IFPA, which is an umbrella organization for advocacy groups around the world. What they are all trying to do is actively work on dispelling these myths, actually provide support for these patients, raise awareness to stakeholders about the systemic nature of psoriasis, and, at the end of the day, support every patient in their psoriasis journey.
Announcer:
That was Dr. Margo Gkini sharing strategies for addressing stigma in psoriasis. To access this and other episodes in our series, visit DermConsult on ReachMD.com, where you can Be Part of the Knowledge. Thanks for listening!
