Survey shows that kids with skin disease more likely to be bullied

By Staff Writer

A new survey reveals that kids with the skin problem psoriasis are more likely to be bullied.

A poll of U.S. parents, which was conducted by the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF), found that 44 percent of their children with the skin condition had been bullied within the last six months. Approximately 38 percent of those cases were as a direct result of psoriasis, a disease that causes skin redness and irritation.

The most common types of bullying were teasing and being excluded by other children. The survey also shows that the bullying caused emotional problems for adolescents with psoriasis. Roughly 60 percent of the parents of children who had been picked on said that their kids suffered from anxiety.

About 24 percent said it negatively affected their child's academic performance, while other effects included panic attacks, low self-esteem and depression. The NPF reports that approximately 500,000 children in the U.S. are affected by psoriasis, which is the most common autoimmune disease in the country.

The National Institute of Health estimates that 8 percent of American students miss at least one day of class per month because of a fear of bullies.