Compassion-based medicine for chronic skin diseases

Chronic skin diseases are often accompanied by massive psychosocial burdens and restrictions in the quality of life. Affected patients additionally often suffer from difficulties in accepting chronic diseases as well as from shame and high self-criticism. In recent years, there is a growing body of evidence that promoting compassion and especially self-compassion can be a helpful starting point for patients and is associated with reduced psychopathological distress, improved health behaviors, and other health determinants. The presentation focuses on the empirical foundations and suggests ideas for integrating compassion-based approaches into clinical therapeutic care.