Straight away I read the section 'Living in your skin'. This is something that I know I struggle with regardless of the fact that other people have far more severe psoriasis than me. Reading through it, I found that I have experienced so many of the feelings referenced. The typical 'Why me' is a really common thought. Another is that I would feel happier without psoriasis. This is hard to deal with as it's very difficult to control. But knowing more ways to tackle these thoughts is useful. This was great to read and seemed to be really in line with feelings that I've experienced for a while.
Dr Tess McPherson is Consultant Dermatologist, Senior Clinical Lecturer & Clinical Lead for Paediatric and Adolescent Dermatology at Oxford University Hospitals where she has established an award-winning service with psychological support for adolescents with skin conditions. Dr McPherson has also worked with the World Health Organisation (WHO) in South America, the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine (WIMM), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Washington, D.C. and Birmingham's Children's Hospital. Dr McPherson is active in national and international paediatric dermatology including elected secretary (President-elect) of the British Society of Paediatric Dermatology (BSPD), developing clinical guidelines and patient information for the British Association of Dermatology (BAD), monitoring of medications in children and young people (BADBIR registry), lead clinician for a web-resource for young people (healthtalk.org) and work with charities and patient groups.