Addressing inequities in the treatment and diagnosis of psoriasis

A panel of BIPOC patients discusses their their difficulties in getting a psoriasis diagnosis.

Transcript

00:00

Traditionally, Black people don't have psoriasis. So for years, I went improper treatment, wrong diagnosis.

00:08

And as a young girl, having these lesions on their skin is just not pretty in addition to it being painful and uncomfortable.

00:15

[MUSIC PLAYING]

00:23

It's so important for us to be having this conversation today, as we know that racial health disparities exist. We also know that psoriasis has shown

00:30

to have a greater impact on the quality of life of Black and Brown patients than white patients and that some dermatologists feel less confident diagnosing

00:38

psoriasis in darker skin tones. What were your presenting symptoms and how long did it take before you actually

00:45

got your diagnosis? With psoriasis, there is a mental component

00:52

that brings about the anxiety, the depression, the stress, which you will see physically, but sometimes you can't see it.

01:00

And when I was on those medications, you couldn't see that I was really hurting inside and that I really just felt like a shell of myself.

01:08

What were the characteristics of the doctors that finally you felt comfortable with this type of person listening to you, hearing you,

01:17

and trusted their diagnosis and their treatment? Most of the dermatologists were white men.

01:24

Constantly going to them and getting improper treatment, improper care, medicine that just doesn't work, it shapes the way

01:34

that I interact and I engage with health professionals moving forward. Sometimes [INAUDIBLE] say, I have this degree, this degree,

01:41

this knowledge-- I shouldn't have to sell myself like a lemon and pitch something to get--

01:47

just courtesy. It wasn't until I found a female Black doctor

01:54

that I felt seen-- felt seen, felt heard.

02:01

When your life is on the line, it's just-- for years, I operated as a shell of myself.

02:09

What are some of the questions that you would point them to to say, these are some of the things that you should ask a provider?

02:15

If you are going to a doctor that is not a person of color, I would ask about their experience with darker skin.

02:22

A lot of the-- for psoriasis, for example, a lot of the creams will bleach my skin. Talking to the nurses is something

02:30

that I would do as well because they will give you a lot of insight on what is going on and which doctor you should probably go to,

02:37

a lot of research on Google. And then whatever medical questions that you have,

02:44

have your notebook, have your phone. And if your doctor cannot answer those questions,

02:50

they don't need to be your doctor. You should not leave that office with any unanswered,

02:56

anything unsaid. You should leave the office feeling secure in what the steps are moving forward.

03:02

You can challenge in a nice way if you feel you've been misdiagnosed or under-diagnosed or whatever. You don't want to skim over things.

03:10

You want to jot down everything. Sometimes when I have appointments, I go home and have questions. I go back. I go through the portal.

03:16

Wherever it is, you want to keep a line of communication open and see how receptive they are to you challenging a more

03:23

in-depth look at things, not even in an aggressive manner, but in an informed manner. I'm showing up for myself, and that is your obligation

03:32

and your duty as well. [AUDIO LOGO]