hello everyone! I have been picking at my skin for over 10 years. I’m not really sure how to stop or other things I can do so I won’t keep damaging my skin. My therapist told me to use playdoh when I feel the urge to pick. But I feel like it’s getting worse now. Any tips or advice?
Note: also I wasn’t aware that picking your skin could be a form of OCD.
Excoriation or skin-picking disorder is indeed classified as an OCD related disorder in the DSM 5 (manual used by health professionals to identify and categorize mental disorders).
There are immediate and long-term costs to skin-picking: skin lesions that may become infected. If I asked you to drink a toxic substance, for instance, you would most likely refuse because it will harm your health. So, why do some people pick at their skin knowing it's harmful to their skin? The answer is that, while people are picking at their skin, they don't consider vividly the costs of doing it. Rather, their mind is solely occupied by the relief they are getting. You may notice that you engage in that compulsion more while under stress because it does divert your attention from your other problems and release some nervous tension. However, there are more sustainable ways to relax like playing with playdough as your therapist suggested, hitting a punching bag, going for a run, etc.
Response prevention and finding healthier ways to feel better is key to your recovery. If you stop skin-picking in spite of the difficulties, your mind will switch gear. Instead of thinking "let me find some comfort first and then I'll stop skin-picking", the negative consequences of your habit will stand out more prominently in your mind if you stop doing it whether you found the comfort you were looking for or not. People who cut themselves (non-suicidal self-injury) are in the same boat. They don't feel bad while doing it (they may actually feel a sense of relief) because their mind is all focused on the stress relief self-cutting provides. It's not easy, it takes time, but they need to stop doing it before things get out of hand and find better stress-management techniques in order to fully realize the negative impact of that habit on their lives.
I do so relate to this! It's been a problem for me since childhood - I can't remember how many times I heard my mother say 'Stop picking!'
It's been made worse for me in recent years - about 14 years ago I got psoriasis on my scalp. I've found it so difficult to keep my hands off bits of loose skin on my head. For hygiene's sake I also wash my hands a lot after I've been picking.
It's so difficult to resist the urge - and I'm afraid Playdoh really doesn't cut it! If there's a bit of loose skin, then it's at the top of my mind until I've managed to pull it off.
I've found that I don't pick in public - too gross! So being out and about keeps my hands off my head. And the other thing that helps is keeping my hands busy - I love sewing and knitting and making things.
Other things that can help: say to yourself that you'll allow yourself to pick a particular place on your skin when the current lesion has healed. Then any loose skin left over is likely to come off easily and won't leave any more to be picked. It's hard to resist the urge, but it does help.
Another thing: if the urge to pick is really strong, make sure you wash your hands first. I know I shouldn't be telling people with OCD to wash their hands - it's all too common - but it's important that you don't introduce infection into your skin. And make sure you wash your hands after you've been picking.
There is information on this OCD related disorder at iocdf.org. Click on Learn More About OCD and then Body Focused Repetitive Behavior. Skin picking is a type of Body Focused Repetitive Behavior (BFRB). The frontline treatment is Habit Reversal.
Thank you very much! I am going to check out the website.
Play doh seems like a useless substitute. Can i ask are you aware you are doing it when you are doing it? if so something to 'block' your access might help so that you can then deal with it mentally (i.e if you are picking skin on your fingers you could try putting plasters over the area you tend to pick), if you're not aware you're doing it thats rather more problematic.
Yeah I tried the playdoh but really didnt do anything. Sometimes I am aware that I am doing and I tell myself to stop but I still keep going. Sometimes I just automatically start to pick or I can pick at my skin when I am nervous. My legs and thighs are the areas I pick at the most, mainly scabs. I had to put bandiads over my scabs which help.
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