obsessive skin picking

Picking skin from fingers, lips, face and many other bodily areas as well as biting nails is an obsessive condition which affects many people. Just taking a look around while on public transport or in other public places you may well some people engaged in this form of self mutilation. Granted, this may be an extreme description for this kind of behaviour but it is not healthy and in there will likely be some emotional trigger that is causing people to bite or pick themselves. This in many cases will actually be causing pain but for whatever reason the sufferer will not stop.

The medical term for the condition of picking skin from your body is called dermatillomania. It is a kind of impulse control disorder which means some people are unable to stop themselves from picking at the skin on their hands for example. The urge to pick often comes from feelings of stress, anxiety, worry and so on.

Since I was young I have often picked a layer of skin from the tips of my thumbs. It is something that I do when I begin to feel stressed. Rather than taking action to deal with a particular issue I face. Instead I sometimes try to analyse the situation and at the same time start peeling.

So even though I want to stop picking my skin I find that even though it is sometimes painful it is also kind of soothing.

However instead of saying to myself don't do that. I am instead trying to think about what is causing me to act in this fashion and also looking at ways in which I can channel my energy so that instead of engaging in a behaviour which is detrimental to my own health I can instead focus my energy in a more positive fashion so that I can deal with the challenges I face.

For example when I have a proposal to write for work, instead of putting off starting to plan and write while at the same time biting my thumb, I can instead simply get to work. This will mean I am facing the challenge straight on, actually getting something done and avoiding the time wasted on picking.

There is far more advice available online about the issues faced for people who pick skin than I would have thought. There is a Wikipedia page devoted to the topic.

01.11.2009. 19:39