The Global Healthy Living Foundation (GHLF) announced the launch of a new education module and campaign titled, Psoriasis: An Inside Out Disease, during August’s Psoriasis Awareness Month. It is estimated that more than 7.5 million people live with psoriasis in the United States. This chronic, autoimmune skin condition is often comorbid with diseases like psoriatic arthritis and metabolic syndrome, and many people with psoriasis can also have psychiatric and emotional concerns, such as depression and anxiety, substance abuse, and self-harming behaviors brought on by the stigma associated with the disease.
Psoriasis: An Inside Out Disease educates the newly diagnosed and experienced person with psoriasis about what to expect from the disease and provides tools they can bring to the doctor’s office to ensure they get their questions answered. Importantly, the education module also walks people step-by-step through the process of working with a specialty pharmacy, which is how many people access their prescribed medications in the event that treatment escalates from a topical cream to an oral medication or injectable/infused medication.
“We spoke with dedicated dermatologists, rheumatologists, primary care doctors, specialty pharmacists, and many psoriasis patients to develop content and tools to help guide our members during crucial parts of their psoriasis journey,” said Seth Ginsberg, president and co-founder of the Global Healthy Living Foundation. “With decades of experience supporting people living with chronic disease, we leaned in on why starting (and staying on) treatment matters for a person’s physical, mental, emotional, and social health — and how to make your specialty pharmacists reliable partners in your care team. We want every person with psoriasis to manage it from the inside out.”
On the Psoriasis: An Inside Out Disease website, people can download question guides, read articles, and watch videos featuring psoriasis patients and medical experts. Psoriasis: An Inside Out Disease was created with support from Amgen. Content related to this sponsorship was independently developed by GHLF.
GHLF also publishes a podcast series called Getting Clear on Psoriasis, available for immediate download, and recently devoted its monthly #CreakyChats on Twitter to raising awareness and reducing stigma on psoriasis.