Anyone with the condition knows that severe psoriasis can have a negative impact on his or her life. This is a painful, chronic skin condition that affects millions of people. Treatments are often expensive and have only a limited chance at success. As bad as the physical symptoms are and feel, the psychological impact is distressing as well. People don’t often make the connection between depression and skin conditions, yet it happens on a regular basis. Here are just a few examples of the ways in which psoriasis impacts the mental well being of people with this disorder.

• financial strain
• interpersonal relationships
• overall depression

No one has to tell you that the medical expenses in this country are on a constant upward swing. Medications for anything have reached an epidemic high cost. The cost of treating severe psoriasis isn’t any different. Those doctor’s visits, topical creams, and expensive treatments add up in a hurry. People with psoriasis often feel a tremendous financial burden in treating their disorder. To make matters worse, when one treatment isn’t effective, the patient is forced to try another and that means another co pay and more money out of pocket.

If you suffer from eczema or psoriasis, or know someone who does, people with these conditions often feel as if they have something to hide. The lesions and rashes that are a part of life with psoriasis are unattractive. There simply isn’t a nice way to put it. It doesn’t help when others make insensitive comments or avoid contact with the affected person because they don’t know what the disorder is or if it is contagious. Some patients also experience a decrease in sexual drive due to their embarrassment and desire to spare their loved one having to see or accidentally touch the affected skin.

It is easy to see how severe psoriasis can negatively impact a person’s mental health. Dealing with any chronically, painful condition often results in depression. For skin disorder sufferers, not only is the pain depressing, so is the appearance of their skin. Music therapy and patient education may help to make the person feel more in control of their situation and better equipped to handle the day to day challenges.