The physical effects of her condition weren’t the only thing that Kaushal was struggling with.
“Many people think that psoriasis is just a skin condition, but it’s more than that. It can also affect one’s mental health.”
As a child, she never dared look at herself in a mirror. That only changed when she turned 14 and her skin started to show signs of improvement. “I thought I was a monster,” she said.
Without any peers she could turn to for advice or help, Kaushal spent a lot of time on her own. She confessed that she “didn’t feel human” because she “didn’t have similar experiences as people my age”.
The pandemic in 2020 also brought along new fears and anxieties for the student, who was due to take her O’Level examinations the same year.
“I was incredibly stressed out. My skin started to flare up violently — it got so bad I had an anxiety attack.”
To protect herself physically and mentally, she took her exams as a private candidate. She said that she wanted to give herself “air to breathe”.
