4 Roles of a Psoriatic Arthritis Patient

As with life, you find all different types of people trying to make the best of the hand they’ve been dealt. Everyone has their own way of coping with the challenges that psoriatic arthritis throws at us. We play lots of roles as psoriatic arthritis patients, which are you?

The researcher

The Researcher could have an honorary degree from Dr. Google. They know all the information there is to know about psoriatic arthritis symptoms, medications, and medical jargon. They are always apprised of the latest research trials. The Researcher knows which sites provide reliable, relevant information, and which ones don’t. They know just where the health section is at the library and if they don’t currently know the answer to your question, the certainly know where to look. The Researcher can whip up a million different articles with just a few strokes of the keyboard and can spot a fake piece of information a million miles away.

The silent sufferer

The Silent Sufferer never speaks about how bad they feel. They don’t discuss the limitations that psoriatic arthritis has placed on their lives. The Silent Sufferer is fantastic at “looking” totally normal and only sharing their pain with select individuals. They believe suffering should be a private thing, something not discussed in most company. The Silent Sufferer keeps their emotions and physical pain hidden behind a mask of polite responses and, “Oh, I’m doing okay.”

The educator

Ahhh, the Educator. The Educator tends to have a little crossover with the Researcher. Like the Researcher, the Educator knows their facts but uses the information to explain the condition to others. The Educator is quick to advocate for psoriatic arthritis and isn’t shy about spreading awareness for the disease. They have great answers and great experiences to share with others. Their main goal is to help. The Educator can help others truly understand what it is like to live with psoriatic arthritis. So they promote their cause and are not afraid to tell their story.

The chronically hopeful

If it has been written about, researched, or even hinted to be helpful, the Chronically Hopeful PsA patient will hope it works. Always on the lookout for a new miracle, something to make living with this disease easier, the Chronically Hopeful patient fills up their tank of hope with every new break thru. Therefore, the Chronically Hopeful really believes, deep in their core, that the next thing they try will be THE thing that changes everything. The one key that gives them their old life back.

The psoriatic arthritis patient

We all need a little piece of each of these psoriatic arthritis patient roles in order live the best life we can. Maybe there is one that is more common in you. Either way, the important thing to remember is for each of these roles to work together to raise awareness, develop better medications, and raise hope. Maybe all of us won’t have to suffer in silence anymore because there is hope for the future of psoriatic arthritis.