Between 18 – 20th of July 2007 the EADV house in Brussels was filled with 20 residents and five teachers from all over Europe, participating in the first EADV Training Course in Psychodermatology.
"I have changed my mind about how to work with dermatology patients" and "Now I know that psychodermatology is needed in daily routine dermatology" was some of the feed-back from the participants who attended this 3 day workshop on all aspects of psychodermatology. EADV offered 20 residents the possibility to participate in an intensive and well-organized training course. The five experts from the European Society of Dermatology and Psychiatry (ESDaP) – sister society of EADV- shared their experience with the young dermatologists. Francoise Poot dermatologist and family therapist from Brussels organized the training course together with psychiatrist Christopher Bridgett from London, psychologist Prof. John de Korte from the Amsterdam Dermatology Department, Prof. Jacek Szepietowski from the Wroclaw Dermatology Department in Poland and dermatologist and psychotherapist Prof. Uwe Gieler from the University of Giessen in Germany. Ray Jobling, from the patients' Psoriasis Association in Great Britain, as a guest lecturer, gave a very impressive and emotional account of the skin patients' point of view, demonstrating the relevance of the work of patients' self-help groups .The Training Course started with an overview of psychodermatological terminology and classification. The residents learnt some diagnoses they had not heard of before e.g. The Dorian Gray syndrome, The Gardner-Diamond syndrome, Morgellons syndrome and Ekbom's Syndrome. Communication skills both with difficult patients and in typical dermatological situations were explored by role-play and demonstrated by video-sequences. How to improve empathy and rapport in the dermatologist-patient relationship, how to increase adherence to treatment and how achieve shared decision-making were also topics in the first day.
The second day started with the patient's perspective by Ray Jobling, followed by a session looking at the family as an important influence on both compliance and psychosocial support. The presentation of psychodermatological cases by the residents themselves from their own departments showed that psychodermatological problems are very similar all over Europe, even if psychosomatic therapies and psychotherapeutic resources may differ. The third day dealt with psychological influences of chronic skin disorders, including management of delusions in skin patients, the several types of factitious disorders and Body Dysmorphic Disorders, and the question of how to persuade patients to accept psychotherapy and psychosomatic/psychiatric treatment.
The need to integrate psychodermatology into routine clinical work was discussed by the residents at the end of the training course. All were encouraged to develop a psychodermatological approach in their dermatological practice.
The 20 residents on the training course had been selected in consultation and agreement by the local course organiser and with an EADV Officer/President Elect of the EADV. Having learnt so much they reported that they would be keen to attend future similar EADV Fostering Dermatology and Venereology Workshops. All hoped that the workshops continue to be organised. They bring young residents together to exchange experience and knowledge, while having an opportunity of making friends with colleagues from all over Europe.
Indeed, we can report that both residents and teachers alike benefit from the excellence of the educational experience at an EADV Fostering Dermatology Training Course.