Mental Health and Skin Disease

Click here to download the Full PDF document of "Mental Health and Skin Disease"

I am delighted to introduce the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Skin’s report on the mental health impact of skin disease. As demonstrated by the above evidence provided by a young woman from Edinburgh, skin conditions can have a devasting impact on a person’s life. Our inquiry heard from many people with a skin condition who have experienced social isolation, stigmatisation, depression, anxiety and even, in some, suicidal thoughts.

We also heard that, all too often, children with psychological distress connected to their skin condition suffer without support. This is greatly concerning as without appropriate mental health support provided in childhood, a person’s life course and long-term wellbeing can be severely impaired.

Despite the evident need and growing demand for psychodermatology services, there is an alarming lack of psychological support available to people living with a skin condition. I hope that our report will change this. It provides national policymakers, commissioners and local service providers with an expert consensus on how mental health support for people with a skin condition should be structured in a range of clinical settings. This can often be delivered cost-effectively.

It also outlines the urgent clinical need for healthcare professionals to be equipped with the necessary skills and resources to provide the holistic care that patients need. This must include patient assessments and care that treats the mind and skin together, otherwise you will not break the vicious circle, in which skin problems create psychological problems that in turn exacerbate the skin condition.

We ultimately hope that through the publication of this report, the need for action will be made clear to policymakers and service ommissioners working in the Government and the NHS.