Comedienne's mission for mum

Published on Monday 27 October 2008 09:20

COMEDIENNE Rhona Cameron is hoping to get a serious message across by lending her support to a campaign to highlight a "stigmatised" condition.

Around 14,000 people in the Capital are thought to suffer from the skin condition psoriasis, and a campaign to boost the attention it is given by the Scottish Government has been backed by the Musselburgh-raised celebrity.

She was inspired by the plight of her mother Jean Campbell, 78, who has lived with the disease since she was a young woman.

Spearheaded by charity Psoriasis Scotland, a delegation recently visited the Scottish Parliament to lobby MSPs on the issue. Campaigners say not enough cash is put into research on the condition – which can leave sufferers badly disabled, that there aren't enough support groups and that public awareness is still too low.

And Ms Cameron, who once raised 40,000 for the cause from her appearance on I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, said while things had improved since she was a child, there was still a bit to go.

"I remember growing up with it and my mother being in a lot of pain," said Ms Cameron.

"The stigmas then were terrible. People with psoriasis wouldn't be allowed to go into clothes shops to try things on, and wouldn't be allowed in swimming pools – they were literally treated as lepers.

"This is why public awareness is so crucial. That all stemmed from people thinking it is contagious, but it isn't and thankfully now things have improved, but it can still be very difficult for people who have it."

The disease affects around three per cent of the global population and can range from having just a small patch of dry skin on the kneecap to having the entire body covered in sores and scabs.

It flares up during times of coldness or heightened stress and, while it can be controlled with cream and treatment, there is no known cure.

The worst-case scenario can see people left disabled after the disease has warped into a form of arthritis.

Ms Cameron said: "I have so many memories of mum being taken into hospital and being given all kinds of really painful treatment.

"It was like images screened in the Singing Detective, that was one of the best ways of showing what it was like. It is a debilitating, painful condition and there just isn't enough support around for it just now."

Edinburgh-based psoriasis activist Janice Johnson is a key member of Psoriasis Scotland.

She said: "One of the fundamental problems is that people are scared of catching psoriasis from someone who has the condition.

"That is simply not true, and until we get that message across people with psoriasis will continue to be shunned and stigmatised.

"One of the things we have been trying to highlight is that whispering and staring only add to the impact of the condition and, in extreme cases, lead to feelings of social exclusion and depression."