Is Psoriasis Completely Bad? It Doesn't Have To Be...

An official diagnosis of psoriasis can intensify emotions. We've just been told we have an incurable skin disease. Whoa. Overwhelming questions and thoughts consume our minds.

How can I get this under control? Forever, really? What are my treatment options? Will they work? What if they don't work? I can't believe I have to look this way forever. Will it truly be forever? Am I suddenly feeling even more itchy?

Psoriasis can't be all doom and gloom, I refuse.

Like many psoriasis sufferers, I spent a lot of years hating this condition. I hated the plaques. I hated the itching. I hated the toll it took on my mental and emotional well-being. Many people with the condition spend a lifetime hating their psoriasis.

But is having psoriasis completely bad? I like to think I'm generally optimistic person and all of these glum, doom, gloom and negativity was weighing on me. I needed to find some silver lining, some positive in having this illness? I think there are some. At least, for me, anyway.

I was 11 when my Mum first noticed something wasn’t right with my skin. She saw plaques and took me to the doctor. To cut a long story short, I was later diagnosed and have lived with flare-ups and what feels like a chemist in my home ever since.

Realizing I'm a person, before the plaque.

I have always loved stories. The crafting of creative writing was always my passion growing up. I was never the best at it, but I loved it. In fact, at school, I was an average student. I could never find something I truly loved and excelled at.

That was, until I started reading newspapers and immersing myself in journalism. While I was studying politics in York, England, I began writing for my student newspaper and was lucky enough to be able to contribute to the wider press, locally and nationally in Britain.

I decided to take the plunge into broadcast news so studied a master’s degree in that after leaving York. And I am glad I did. After leaving university, I gained two degrees and went on to spend some time working in journalism before using my skills in communications, where I’m at now.

Psoriasis is not who we are, it a part of who we are.

What I’m trying to say by telling you this is that psoriasis is bad. It’s painful. It itches. It leaves you feeling hopeless and down. But. And there’s a big but. I believe it’s helped me, too. It’s made me kinder, more understanding and empathetic.

Being a journalist is about telling stories. It’s about finding out about the world you live in and bringing to light how people live. Everyday you’re speaking to someone or investigating what’s happening in a local community. It’s fun. And I’ve always been passionate about it.

The mental anguish, the itching, the plaques growing bigger. It all adds to what makes you strong as a person and how you see the world. So, while psoriasis is a negative. And believe me, I really do dislike it. Try and look at the positive side, too. Understanding, empathy and kindness matter. You shouldn’t discount it.