Psoriasis is no laughing matter to an adult, and it is definitely not something to joke about when dealing with children afflicted with this disease. The skin disorder affects millions of people, but it is the children who have the toughest time dealing with the condition.
Psoriasis in children presents its own hazards and it is about more than just the child’s physical health. It is a psychologically destructive disease that is often misunderstood by other children and parents.
Psoriasis in children presents difficulties with their physical health but it also can have a severe impact on their psychological growth.
You have to remember that childhood is often a time when kids want to fit in with their peers and be the same as anyone else. Having the stigma of people always looking at their skin can often cause the child to slip into a depressive state.
The most important thing any parent can do is to educate their child and reach out to the child’s peers to help them understand the real facts about this skin disorder.
A primary consequence of psoriasis in children and teenagers is the emotional aspect of being different from other youngsters. These affected patients may develop severe self-esteem issues that need to be discussed with a counselor. Adults can become very depressed because of this skin disorder but the manifestations of depression in young people may show itself in a different fashion.
The next steps are finding the correct psoriasis treatment for the job of helping combat the symptoms and help heal the skin. The majority of medications presently on the market are for adult use and are not verified as safe for use by children. Consequently, youngsters are expected to use a medication that is only meant for adult usage. This can prove problematic for some young people since the psoriasis medication is too strong and could result in adverse side effects. There is legislation in place now for new drugs to be tested to ensure safety for children but that only applies to new drugs. You still need to be concerned about the older drugs that have been around for a while.
It is the parents, doctors and counselors’ job to help the child become educated. Psoriasis in children faces many of the same issues that adults face but with the added complication of a child trying to grow up into an adult.
The best place to start a search for helping a child deal with his or her new diagnosis is to visit The National Psoriasis Foundation at www.psoriasis.org.