That the mind and skin are closely connected is intuitive and increasingly understood, but holistic care falls between interdisciplinary gaps. Psychiatrists are confident in the treatment of psychotic, obsessive-compulsive and affective disorders, but patients with conditions implicating the skin are far more likely to present to a dermatologist. General dermatologists are trained to identify the psychological impact of illness but are ill-equipped to provide adequate care for patients with a primary psychiatric issue. In conditions characterised by loss of insight, patients often pursue futile medical investigations from multiple clinicians while suffering from progressive symptom burden and functional restriction. 

Psychodermatology was developed to meet the needs of patients for whom a joined-up approach is essential. Collaboration between psychiatry and dermatology is not new, but services remain nascent. In a psychodermatology clinic, a psychiatrist and dermatologist assess patients together, often with additional nursing and psychological input. Current guidance recommends regional availability of these services, with referrals generally received from secondary care dermatology. However, national access to psychodermatology expertise remains patchy. A national monthly MDT attempts to fill this advice gap. 

This Dean's Grand Round aims to raise further awareness of psychodermatology for a psychiatric audience. We will present a theoretical overview of psychodermatological conditions and illustrate their impact through clinical and lived experience. We will show evidence of the impact that integrated psychodermatological services can make and advocate for psychiatrists to get involved through research and local service development.

Dr Thomas Elliott MBBS BSc MRCPsych

Dr Elliott is a Consultant Psychiatrist at North East London NHS Foundation Trust. He received his MBBS, with an intercalated BSc in Neuroscience and Mental Health, from Imperial College London in 2017 and completed his psychiatric training across northeast London and Essex. He achieved CCT in General Adult and Old Age Psychiatry with subspecialty endorsement in Liaison Psychiatry in 2026. He currently works an old age inpatient unit.

Dr Elliott has a long-standing special interest in psychodermatology and worked in the Royal London clinic for 18 months during his higher training. He continues to regularly advise the national psychodermatology MDT. He has delivered teaching to paying delegates at the Psychodermatology UK 'Psychocutaneous Medicine Training Course'. He is currently producing a CPD eModule for the RCPsych on Psychodermatology. He is research-active, recently contributing to a publication on the development of the national MDT.

Professor Anthony Bewley BA (Hons), FRCP

Professor Bewley is a Consultant Dermatologist at Barts Health NHS Trust and Honorary Professor at Queen Mary College (University of London). He is fully trained in general dermatology and has a special interest in psychodermatology (psycho-cutaneous medicine). He is the lead for commercial clinical trials research at the Barts Health Dermatology Department, and has published extensively in international peer-reviewed journals on a range of different areas within dermatology.

Professor Bewley was Chair of Psychodermatology UK 2008-20; President of the UK Dowling Dermatology Club 2019-20 and Hon Treasurer of the British Association of Dermatologists (2019-22). He is the co-editor of Practical Psychodermatology (Wiley, 2014), Psychodermatology in Clinical Practice (Springer, 2021). He is Treasurer of the European Society for Dermatology and Psychiatry (ESDaP; www.psychodermatology.net), and one of two elected UK representatives to the EADV (2022)

Dr Ruth Taylor BSc (Psychology) MBChB, MRC Psych, MSc (Psych), MSc (Epid), PhD

Dr Taylor is an Honorary Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant in Liaison Psychiatry at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University London. She is an Honorary Senior Lecturer in the Centre for Psychiatry, Wolfson Institute, Queen Mary University. Dr Taylor completed training in psychiatry at the Maudsley and is accredited as a Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist. Dr Taylor has a specialist interest and expertise in psychodermatology. She established and continues to work in the joint multidisciplinary tertiary psychodermatology team at the Royal London Hospital. The clinic is involved in clinical research in psychodermatology, particularly looking at treatment approaches for primary psychiatric disorders which present in dermatology.

Dr Taylor also has both a clinical and research interest in somatisation, medically unexplained symptom syndromes, conversion and dissociative disorders. Dr Taylor teaches on the MSc in Mind and Skin at the University of Hertfordshire. Dr Taylor previously co-chaired Psychodermatology UK, an organisation which seeks to promote understanding of the interface area between psychiatry and dermatology and improve services for patients, and training for staff, as well as stimulating research in this field. Dr Taylor has served on various advisory boards for the BAD and NICE on Psychodermatology. Dr Taylor co-edited the book ‘Practical Psychodermatology’ (Wiley 2014) and ‘Psychodermatology in Clinical Practice (Springer 2020).

Dr Maria-Angeliki Gkini PhD

Dr Gkini qualified from the Medical School of Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, Greece. She completed her PhD, focusing on the management of hair diseases. She completed her dermatology training at Barts Health NHS Trust in London, where she developed an interest in inflammatory skin diseases. She further pursued her clinical and research interests in Athens, Greece and in New York City, USA at Mount Sinai. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians.

Currently, she works a Locum Consultant Dermatologist at Barts Health NHS Trust, London and an Honorary Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary University, London, UK. She runs the specialist psoriasis and atopic dermatitis clinics as well as the specialist hair clinic. Her special interests include inflammatory skin and hair diseases, advanced therapies (biologics and small molecules) and psychodermatology. Apart from her clinical work, Dr Gkini has an interest in clinical research and she has been a principal and sub-investigator in more than 50 multicenter studies. She has significant teaching experience, including teaching at the Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Dermatology at Queen Mary University in London.

Dr Gkini is actively involved in several organisations and societies and their committees, such as the EADV, the ESDAP, the IPC and Alopecia UK. She has participated in numerous national and international congresses as a speaker/invited speaker and she has published her research in international peer-reviewed journals. Dr Gkini has also been awarded numerous prizes and grants by prestigious institutions and organisations, such as the EADV, the BAD and the Royal College of Physicians.

Dr Padma Mohandas MCRP MRCGP MSc

Dr Mohandas qualified from the University of Mysore in India and pursued further medical training in the UK, initially in Medicine and General Practice.

After completing a master’s in clinical Dermatology in 2015 with distinction from King’s College London, she decided to pursue a career in Dermatology and completed Specialist Dermatology training in the East Midlands during which time she developed a specialist interest in Psychodermatology. She was appointed as Consultant Dermatologist at Bart’s Health London in 2020 with a special interest in Psychodermatology and is part of the team running a dedicated complex needs clinic at the Royal London Hospital, which was awarded ‘BMJ Dermatology Team of the Year’ in 2017.

Dr Mohandas has presented nationally and internationally on Psychodermatology issues, written many peer-reviewed papers and textbook chapters in dermatology and is active in research. Dr Mohandas is on the executive committee of Psychodermatology U.K. With her comprehensive clinical background Dr Mohandas is able to provide a holistic approach to patient care, taking into consideration the interdependence of the mind, body and skin

Dr Nermin Saleh MBBCh MSc MRCPsych

Dr Saleh is an ST6 General Adult Psychiatry Registrar and Fellow in Medical Education at East London NHS Foundation Trust, and Honorary Clinical Lecturer at Queen Mary University of London. She has over ten years’ psychiatric experience across the UK and Egypt. She has a special interest in psychodermatology and works in the joint psychodermatology clinic at the Royal London Hospital. She is collaborating with the

Royal College of Psychiatrists on an e-learning module on psychodermatology, and has taught as invited faculty at St John’s DermAcademy. She also has a clinical interest in adult ADHD and is actively involved in undergraduate psychiatry teaching at QMUL.

Dr Iyas Assalman FRCPsych

Dr Assalman is a Consultant Psychiatrist and Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (FRCPsych). After qualifying in medicine at Damascus University, he relocated to the United Kingdom to undertake specialist training in psychiatry. He has extensive clinical experience across the NHS and private practice.

He is a General Adult Consultant Psychiatrist at East London NHS Foundation Trust and practises privately in London. He leads the local ADHD service, serves as an Honorary Senior Lecturer at Queen Mary University of London, and is Co-Chair of Psychodermatology UK. Teaching and clinical education are central to his work.

Alongside his clinical and teaching roles, Dr Assalman maintains an active academic profile. He contributed to the Cochrane Collaboration, writes for psychiatric and dermatological textbooks, and publishes research in psychodermatology and other areas of psychiatry.

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