On Saturday 29 October, we took a moment to observe World Psoriasis Day, the annual day dedicated to people living with psoriatic disease.
The theme of World Psoriasis Day 2022 was ‘mental health’ which has been recognised as a significant factor for those living with psoriatic disease.
Statistics show that a quarter of people living with psoriatic disease exhibit signs of depression, and as many as 48% have anxiety disorders. This is both a physical symptom of the inflammation that causes psoriatic disease and a result of the day-to-day difficulties of living with the disease.
To show our support for World Psoriasis Day, the Skin Health Institute has put together a webinar chaired by A/Prof Peter Foley. The panel discussion facilitated various conversations about mental health complications and solutions for those living with psoriatic disease. Panel members included two patients, Dr Rebecca Nguyen (dermatologist), Murray Turner (Psoriasis Australia CEO) and Sue Anderson (Clinical Nurse Consultant).
The discussions on the panel focused on what the impact of COVID-19 has had on patients’ mental health, what the quality of life is for patients living with psoriasis, how we can minimise the additional burden on people living with psoriasis with proper mental health support, the bidirectional relationship between psoriatic disease and depression and how timely and proper treatment of psoriatic disease improves depression.
You can watch the webinar for World Psoriasis Day 2022 here.
