Patches on the Skin, Patches on the Soul: Coping with the Psoriasis Stigma in Dennis Potter’s The Singing Detective

This article argues that Dennis Potter’s renowned TV series The Singing Detective is highly significant as a representation of the experience of suffering from psoriasis, the stigma attached to it and ways to cope with this stigma. In particular, I will argue that Potter’s work suggests that those stigmatised need not always be merely victims: sometimes, they may try to deal with the situation actively and constructively by restructuring negative thoughts, thus regaining a sense of agency and optimism, increasing personal resilience and overcoming self-stigma. In what follows, I begin by showing how Potter in many respects was an advocate of stigmatised outsiders. I then proceed to analyse how Potter’s The Singing Detective offers both an instructive illustration of the psoriasis stigma and a demonstration of a strategy to cope with it. In the process, I briefly summarise some of the terminology and theoretical findings concerning stigma and anti-stigma strategies, focusing on the psoriasis stigma. I will explain how the TV series expresses a humanist view whereby humans are conceived as self-interpreting and narrative beings that possess a certain agency and selfhood. Finally, I suggest that strategies of personal resilience can be of great importance in the fight against stigma and thus may offer a useful complement to public anti-stigma measures.