Dermatillomania, or chronic skin picking, (CSP) is the practice of repetitively rubbing, touching, scratching and picking at one's skin. Very often the face is the main target, but any part of the body can be a site for skin picking. People with dermatillomania commonly believe they're scratching away skin blemishes.
Although dermatillomania is different from self-mutilating behaviors like cutting or burning the skin, it can have serious consequences. Compulsive skin picking can lead to:
Chronic skin picking has been observed in animals, leading some researchers to suggest that dermatillomania stems from a genetic grooming impulse.
A variety of emotional states are associated with dermatillomania. Some people develop a skin picking habit because they find it soothing. Others do so because they're seeking stimulation. Still others pick their skin because they're trying to be "perfect" and they think their skin is flawed.
Dermatillomania is considered an impulse control disorder, and is usually diagnosed on the basis of the following characteristics:
Some people feel such shame and remorse because of their dermatillomania that they limit their personal and professional activities to hide the results of their skin picking.
Although it is not the same as obsessive compulsive disorder, dermatillomania has much in common with OCD.
According to HealthCentral.com, almost half of those diagnosed with OCD may have dermatillomania, as well (2008). Depression and anxiety are also related disorders.
Dermatillomania is considered a body-focused repetitive behavior (BFRR), like compulsive hair-pulling (trichotillomania), chronic nail-biting (onychophagia) or biting the insides of your cheeks (dermatophagia).
Skin picking can be a symptom of other conditions such as autism, an autoimmune disorder, dermatological disease, substance abuse or psychosis. These must be ruled out before dermatillomania treatment begins.
The options for dermatillomania treatment include:
Some medications have been helpful in treating skin picking, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and medications used to treat alcohol abuse.
BrainPhysics.com. (2010). Dermatillomania: Compulsive skin picking. Retrieved July 16, 2010, from http://www.brainphysics.com/skin-picking.php.
Kennard, J. (2008). Skin picking: A sign of deeper problems. Retrieved July 16, 2010, from http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/1950/47842/picking-problems.
Trichotillomania Learning Center. (2007). What is chronic skin picking? Retrieved July 16, 2010, from http://www.trich.org.
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