'Stop Hiding, Take Action!' - European Psoriasis Film Campaign Launched to Mark World Psoriasis Day
BEERSE, Belgium, October 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
The European psoriasis film campaign Stop Hiding, Take Action! has been launched today - World Psoriasis Day - to raise awareness of the psychosocial burden of poorly managed psoriasis, and inspire the wider psoriasis community to speak out about the day-to-day impact of living with this chronic inflammatory condition.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131029/648417-a )
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131029/648417-b )
The two films, entitled 'The Spa' and 'The Office', focus on the everyday challenges and stigma faced by people with psoriasis in the workplace and in their personal lives as a result of the visible signs of this condition. They have been developed by Janssen Pharmaceutica NV in association with the European Umbrella Organisation for Psoriasis Movements (EUROPSO), which represents people living with psoriasis across Europe.
Ronan Farrelly, President of EUROSPO, commented that 'living in a society so preoccupied with appearance is particularly difficult for people with psoriasis, who can often suffer from feelings of low self-esteem, self-consciousness and depression, especially if their condition is not adequately treated. But these days there is hope for anyone living with psoriasis. EUROPSO supports initiatives like Stop Hiding, Take Action! which highlight the real burden of psoriasis on the individual and encourage patients to follow up with their healthcare team to receive appropriate and effective medical treatment so that they can regain their confidence'.
People watching the Stop Hiding, Take Action! films are encouraged to pledge their support for an improvement in the care of people with psoriasis via an E-petition, the Psoriasis Mandate: (http://www.psoriasis360.com/psoriasis-mandate).
The Psoriasis Mandate has already been signed by more than 19,000 people across Europe and has received wide support from 10 national psoriasis patient organisations. The final results of the Psoriasis Mandate will be presented by EUROPSO to the European Parliament in November.
'The Spa' and 'The Office' can be viewed via the award-winning Psoriasis360 website (http://www.psoriasis360.com) as well as the Psoriasis360 YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/Psoriasis360).
About psoriasis
Psoriasis is more than just skin deep. It is a chronic, inflammatory disease affecting approximately 14 million people in Europe.[1] Psoriasis is caused when the immune system (the body's defence against disease) mistakenly attacks healthy skin cells, speeding up skin cell production, causing patches of thick, red or inflamed skin covered with silvery scales to appear, known as plaques. These plaques usually itch or feel sore and can occur anywhere on the body.[2] As well as being physically debilitating, psoriasis can have a deep psychological impact on the people it affects.
*Financial support for the Psoriasis Mandate and the Psoriasis White Paper was provided by Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Belgium.
Click here to sign the Psoriasis Mandate
Click here for further information on the European Psoriasis White Paper
Janssen is one of the Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.
More information can be found at http://www.janssen-emea.com
References
- Augustin M and The European Expert Working Group for Healthcare in Psoriasis. A framework for improving the quality of care for people with psoriasis. JEADV 2012, 26 (Suppl. 4), 1-16
- The Psoriasis Association. About psoriasis. Available at https://www.psoriasis-association.org.uk/pages/view/about-psoriasis/types-of-psoriasis/plaque . Accessed October 2013.
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