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Body Image Distress in Scleroderma

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Scleroderma

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Abstract

Changes in appearance are a common and distressing aspect of scleroderma. Disfigurement in scleroderma often occurs in areas of the body that are both visible and socially relevant (e.g., face and hands), which can contribute to increased social anxiety and avoidance. A case study is provided to share examples of common concerns and challenges associated with treating patients with scleroderma who are experiencing body image distress. Social, self-esteem, mood, and sexual impacts of body image distress are also discussed. The presence of significant body image concerns is not always associated with severity of appearance changes, thus open communication around changes in appearance is important regardless of perceived severity. Referrals to mental health professionals should be initiated as appropriate.

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Acknowledgments

Dr. Thombs was supported by a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical PsyD Program, California School of Professional Psychology/Alliant International University-Los Angeles, Alhambra, CA, USA

    Shadi Gholizadeh

  2. Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA

    Rina S. Fox

  3. Department of Health Behavior, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Sarah D. Mills

  4. Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Sarah D. Mills

  5. Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Community and Family Psychiatry, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Lisa R. Jewett

  6. Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Brett D. Thombs

  7. Departments of Psychiatry; Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health; Medicine; Psychology; Educational and Counselling Psychology; and Biomedical Ethics Unit, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Brett D. Thombs

  8. SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego, CA, USA

    Vanessa L. Malcarne

  9. Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA

    Vanessa L. Malcarne

Authors
  1. Shadi Gholizadeh
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  2. Rina S. Fox
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  3. Sarah D. Mills
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  4. Lisa R. Jewett
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  5. Brett D. Thombs
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  6. Vanessa L. Malcarne
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shadi Gholizadeh .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. INSERMU1016, Université Paris Cité,, Service de Rhumatologie, Hôpital Cochin,, Paris, France

    Yannick Allanore

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan–Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    John Varga

  3. Centre for Rheumatology, University College London, Royal Free Campus, London, UK

    Christopher P. Denton

  4. Department of Allergy and Rheumatology, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Masataka Kuwana

  5. Rheumatology, Stanford Medicine, Redwood City, CA, USA

    Lorinda Chung

  6. Division of Rheumatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Ami A. Shah

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© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

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Gholizadeh, S., Fox, R.S., Mills, S.D., Jewett, L.R., Thombs, B.D., Malcarne, V.L. (2024). Body Image Distress in Scleroderma. In: Allanore, Y., Varga, J., Denton, C.P., Kuwana, M., Chung, L., Shah, A.A. (eds) Scleroderma. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-40658-4_56

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-40658-4_56

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-40658-4

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