Psoriasis: Targets and Therapy

Dove Medical Press is pleased to invite you to submit your research to an upcoming Article Collection on "PsoPsych: Insights on psychological processes, health and support in people with psoriatic disease" in Psoriasis: Targets and Therapy.

It is widely recognized that psoriasis is "more than just skin deep", with a growing body of evidence supporting the link between psoriatic conditions and mental health. We know there is a bi-directional relationship between psoriasis, related co-morbidities, and common psychological conditions, such as depression and anxiety, due to shared inflammatory pathways. Psychological processes (thoughts, feelings and behaviors) play a key role in the clinical and patient self- management of psoriasis.

Over recent decades, there have been calls to increase the provision of specialist psychological support within dermatology settings and dedicated psychodermatology services to help people to cope with, and overcome, psychological and psychiatric challenges associated with psoriatic disease. However, societal, organizational, service and individual barriers exist, meaning progress is slow. Concerted efforts by policy makers, dermatology and other health organisations, clinicians, researchers and industry partners are needed to deliver the support people need to live well with psoriatic conditions.

This Article Collection focuses on the latest research addressing psychological impact, health and support in people with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. It is important to expand our understanding of:
• The psychological burden of psoriatic conditions and related co-morbidities.
• The interplay between psychological and physiological mechanisms in PsO/A.
• The challenges, and solutions to, managing the psychological aspects of these conditions, from the perspective of different dermatology stakeholders.
• Existing sources of psychological support.
• New and existing interventions designed to improve psychological outcomes.
• Patients’ psychological support needs and preferences.

This will continue efforts to raise awareness of this topic within the field of dermatology, identify knowledge gaps and new avenues for research, and strategies and approaches for supporting patients.

We encourage submissions of quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research involving people living with psoriatic disease anywhere in the world. We particularly encourage submissions that:
• Build on current understanding of the psychological impact, and specifically those that identify, test and implement strategies to help patients/families/clinicians to mitigate and manage this impact.
• Focus on the development, evaluation and implementation of psychological interventions delivered via a range of mediums, and how interventions bring about change. We particularly encourage submissions on health behavior change/interventions given that support of this kind is typically generic or lacking within health services.
• Report on existing mental health support within dermatology, including, but not limited to, counselling, psychology, psychiatry and specialist psychodermatology provision. Of interest are examples of multi- and inter- disciplinary working.
• Explore patient peer and social support networks (in person or online), especially the arguably underrecognized role of patient organizations in supporting people with psoriasis.
• Enhance our knowledge of pharmacological treatments for people with psoriatic disease and comorbid psychological/psychiatric illness.

• Highlight epidemiological trends in mental/psychiatric diagnoses in psoriatic patients.

Keywords

1. Psoriasis
2. Psoriatic arthritis
3. Mental health
4. Psychological support
5. Psychodermatology

All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo a full peer-review; the Guest Advisors for this Collection will not be handling the manuscripts (unless they are an Editorial Board member).

Please review the journal scope and author submission instructions prior to submitting a manuscript. The deadline for submitting manuscripts is 1 June 2026.

Please submit your manuscript on our website, quoting the promo code B40CC to indicate that your submission is for consideration in this Article Collection. 

Please contact Ashley Ambros at [email protected] with any queries and discount codes regarding this Article Collection.

Guest Advisor

Dr Rachael Hewitt, School of Healthcare Sciences, Cardiff University, Wales UK

[email protected]

Dr Hewitt is a Post-Doctoral Research Associate and Trainee Health Psychologist at Cardiff University with expertise in patient-practitioner communication, health behaviour change, complex intervention development and supporting patient self-management. She leads applied psychology and interdisciplinary research within the field of medical dermatology, especially psoriasis, and previously co-led the wellbeing arm of a specialist clinic for psoriatic disease within the Welsh Institute of Dermatology. Rachael led the national implementation of PsoWell™, training dermatology staff in Motivational Interviewing (MI) to address the psychological aspects of psoriasis and continues to deliver MI training internationally. Her research also explores clinicians’ personal models of psoriasis and patient-reported outcome measure development. She has authored 21 peer-reviewed publications, secured over £350,000 in research funding, and her work has been recognized internationally, including a Rising Star Scholarship award to present at the 25th World Congress of Dermatology.

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Dove Medical Press is pleased to invite you to submit your research to an upcoming Article Collection on "Navigating Complexity: Real-World Evidence of Biologics in Elderly and Multimorbid Psoriasis Patients" in Psoriasis: Targets and Therapy.

The therapeutic landscape of psoriasis has been revolutionized by the advent of biological agents, offering unprecedented levels of skin clearance and quality of life improvement. However, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) often employ strict inclusion criteria, leading to the underrepresentation of specific patient subgroups commonly encountered in daily practice, such as the elderly (including the "oldest old") and patients with significant multiple comorbidities. As the global population ages and the systemic nature of psoriasis becomes increasingly evident, bridging the gap between controlled trial environments and clinical reality is imperative. This Article Collection focuses on Real-World Evidence (RWE) regarding the use of biologics in these complex scenarios. We aim to gather data that elucidates how biological therapies perform outside the rigid constraints of RCTs, specifically targeting vulnerable populations where evidence-based guidance is often limited or extrapolated.

This Collection is crucial because clinicians frequently face the challenge of treating psoriatic patients who do not fit the "standard" profile of RCT participants. The management of psoriasis in the elderly is complicated by immunosenescence, polypharmacy, and frailty, while the presence of comorbidities—ranging from cardiovascular and metabolic diseases to malignancies—poses significant safety concerns and therapeutic dilemmas. Understanding the bidirectional relationship between psoriasis treatment and comorbidities is vital: not only how comorbidities influence effectiveness, safety and drug survival, but also how biologics might modify the natural history of associated conditions (e.g., potential cardio-protective effects or cancer risks). Collecting high-quality real-world data is essential to validate the long-term safety profile of these drugs, tailor treatments to individual phenotypic profiles, and ultimately optimize the risk-benefit ratio for the most fragile patients.

This Article Collection welcomes submissions that investigate the practical application of biological therapies in psoriasis, with a specific lens on complex patient profiles. We encourage the submission of Original Research, Reviews, and Real-World Case Series. Key subtopics of interest include, but are not limited to:
• Effectiveness and Safety in the Elderly: Impact of immunosenescence on biologic response and infection risk in geriatric populations;
• Comorbidities and Treatment Response: How metabolic syndrome, diabetes, chronic kidney disease (CKD) or cardiovascular disease influence effectiveness, safety and drug survival;
• Impact of Biologics on Comorbidities: Research into the potential protective effects of systemic inflammation reduction on organs and systems affected by chronic diseases, as well as the risk of disease progression;
• Malignancy: Real-world data on the safety of biologics in patients with a history of cancer or concurrent malignancies;
• Polypharmacy: Drug-drug interactions and management strategies in multimorbid patients.

Keywords

1. Real-world evidence
2. Biologics
3. Psoriasis comorbidities
4. Geriatric dermatology
5. Drug survival

All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo a full peer-review; the Guest Advisors for this Collection will not be handling the manuscripts (unless they are an Editorial Board member).

Please review the journal scope and author submission instructions prior to submitting a manuscript. The deadline for submitting manuscripts is 5 November 2026.

Please submit your manuscript on our website, quoting the promo code 5E799 to indicate that your submission is for consideration in this Article Collection.

Guest Advisors

Dr Zeno Fratton, University of Udine

[email protected]

Dr. Zeno Fratton is a physician based at the Institute of Dermatology, University of Udine (Italy). His research focuses on chronic inflammatory skin diseases, particularly plaque psoriasis and biological therapies in the elderly and other special populations. He has authored numerous papers in high-impact journals and serves as a reviewer for top-tier publications. He graduated with honors from the University of Verona under the guidance of Prof. Paolo Gisondi and is an active member of the Italian Society of Pediatric Dermatology (SIDerP).

Dr. Stefano Bighetti, University of Brescia

[email protected]

Dr. Stefano Bighetti is a dermatologist at the Dermatology Department, University of Brescia (Italy), with a clinical and academic focus on chronic inflammatory skin diseases, particularly atopic dermatitis and psoriasis, and on non-invasive therapeutic strategies including phototherapy and laser-based therapies. He has authored and co-authored several peer-reviewed publications in the international dermatology literature, with contributions spanning clinical research and real-world evidence. He serves on the Editorial Board of the Italian Journal of Dermatology and Venereology and acts as a peer reviewer for multiple dermatology journals. He is engaged in academic and educational activities within national scientific societies, supporting initiatives in continuing medical education and evidence-based dermatology.

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