People with skin problems are at high risk of developing psychological problems and may stay longer even after the skin improves. Psychodermatology is particularly useful in removing skin-related psychological marks.
The dialog between the mind and the skin is moving in both directions. While mental and emotional stress can lead to skin disorders, psychological distress is also triggered by disorders. Skin diseases rarely kill people, but they prefer to chew them and spit them out.
Faced with the Matter
Psychosocial discomfort is a normal and collective response to skin symptoms in our culture in particular. Americans spend more on social welfare, health, and education than they do on their own. It is tempting to dismiss our attachment to beauty as hopelessly superficial. Many of my patients have deliberately beaten themselves for vanity, contributing to their psychosocial agony.
But it’s more than vanity that makes people look good. Your body image is about 1/4 to 1/3 of your self-esteem. Your self-esteem has a tremendous impact on your overall mental well-being. And if you have a skin disorder, your self-esteem and psychological well-being will be affected.
Ironically, the seriousness of this psychosocial problem is only slightly related to the size of the skin. Individuals with mild symptoms may develop severe psychological symptoms. It all goes down on the mentality of the person. That’s why the scientific improvement in skin disease doesn’t automatically make you feel better at home.
Get Support
A patient may also need more support than the dermatologist can afford. In this case, the patient may be referred to a psychiatrist or a specialist or prescribed medication for a comorbid psychiatric condition.
Sometimes, as psychodermatological patients go further down the spectrum, their apparent psychological symptoms become more disturbing and worsening, as anxiety interferes with health and quality of life, as depression deteriorates, more traditional anti-anxiety drugs become part of the healing process.
Two of the main reasons that we believe are that physicians understand the psychological effects of the skin and recommend psychotropic medication as part of the treatment plan. One consequence, of course, is that you should be more informed about and deal with psychosocial comorbidities. Psychosocial comorbidities can be handled more effectively with primary skin disorders.
The referral of patients to a psychologist or therapist is another approach that can have a significant positive impact.
Dermatologists are particularly helpful as we can help these patients prevent or reduce their skin condition, not only psychologically, but also dermatologically. For example, referrals to a psychologist or psychiatrist are unusual. When treated in a caring manner, the patients would appreciate it a lot.
Dealing With The Problem
According to English Dermatology, people with symptoms like depression, anxiety, or body dysmorphic disorder, are prone to issues.
Patients with medical conditions such as acne excoriate, and neurotic excoriation is in the second group. The third group refers to patients who are considered to be affected by emotional causes in specific skin conditions such as Acne, Rosacea, Psoriasis, Eczema, and Urticaria.
Dermatological symptoms of aging in patients may be at risk of harmful emotional sequelae and may benefit from non-pharmacological treatments.
Hypnosis is helpful to some patients. For example, long-term effects of hypnosis (especially in patients who are profoundly hypnotized) may include reduced eczema scratching, which may resolve acne excoriation.
Recent studies have shown that hypnosis promotes healthy growth in about 50 percent of patients seeking care and reduces depression and anxiety in almost all patients.
Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy is one of the traditional psychotherapy approaches used to treat skin disorders. Data from a 6-week cognitive behavioral therapy study showed an improvement in anxiety, depression, and psoriasis-related stress in patients with psoriasis. However, the psychotherapy intervention group has achieved three times the clinical success compared to conventional non-medication treatments.
Community psychotherapy has also been associated with symptomatic relief, reduced pruritus, reduced eczema relapses, and reduced steroid use in eczema patients who have used it to supplement their daily medicines.
However, dermatologists themselves may also take less systematic non-pharmacological treatments.
The power to heal words, style, and touch can not be overestimated. Gentle, kind, and encouraging remarks and actions can affect the physiology, emotional well-being, and compliance of the patients.
Lean on Your Beloved Ones
If you feel lousy, touching someone else, or talking about your psoriasis, it may be the last thing you feel like doing. Research shows that people with psoriasis who receive social support feel better every day and are less likely to have depression. Let your friends and family know how emotionally psoriasis affects you. They may not ‘get it’ until you open it up to them. But when you do, they ‘re going to want to support you.
Fight Ignorance Using Facts
You may all be too used to make second glances and unkind comments from others about your skin. People who do not understand the disease may be concerned that it is contagious or that it is a symptom of another health problem. Have a quick, factual statement ready.
Take Control of Your Treatment, Please
Long-term illness like psoriasis can make you feel like you’re not in control. Others might have told you that you must “learn to live with it.” That’s not true. With English Dermatology, we’ve got so many great treatment options available now. It’s entirely possible to reach a point where your skin is clear, and you feel good.
Some patients may be helped by referring to a psychodermatologist or a professional interested in dermatological conditions. Nevertheless, sometimes care is just as easy as a patient’s usual dermatologist who provides calming words to relieve some of the patients’ “chronicity and progression fear.”