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Do I have dermatillomania?
I have picked for as long as I remember. When I fell off my bike for the first time and scraped my knee, I remember picking at it. It almost got infected. I forgot what stopped me. Anyway, so me being a tomboy, I got lots of cuts and scratches. Especially because my bestfriends were rough-and-tough boys. Almost every cut or scratch I got, I picked at. I didn't stop until I bled. But not like the emo kind. I was sometimes stressed and it got worse. But I always picked. I've tried to count my scars but stopped at 73. And that was just my waist down. Since I have hit puberty, I have had acne. I can not stress how much I pick at my acne. In the morning for about 2 minutes, then my mom walks by. I quickly pretend to do something else but my mom just says "Stop picking" as she walks away, not caring. She loves me, but she's ignored my picking habits. So then I continue for a bit. I usually pick 10 minutes in the morning. Then I put on my coverup and foundation. At school while I'm focused on work, I catch myself rubbing my hidden scabs. Sometimes I even pick. I resist as much as possible but it bothers me SO much the fact my skin has a little bump. When I get home, I've rubbed my makeup almost completely off. (Gosh... Even know as I'm writing this I'm rubbing my forehead!) When I get home, I look in the mirror and pick for a while. When I go to brush my teeth for bedtime, I stand an inch away from the mirror and pick for a while. By the time my mom comes and yells at me for stalling, my forehead, nose area, and chin are as red as a tomato. I wear a hat to bed so I cover my forehead when I walk to bed. My mom and step dad don't notice. Again, they still love me, they just don't notice. Then I go to sleep. I knew I had a slight problem with picking, I just didn't know that there was a medical term for it. I found the term a few days ago and have had a deep discussion with my best friend via email. She didn't understand my problem. I didn't expect her to. So I researched it further. (Gosh... Still picking...) I later found this forum and decided to vent. I feel a little better. But I want to know. DO I HAVE DERMATILLOMANIA? Please... Tell me...
-Jasmine
In reply to I'm not a doctor or anything by ashleenb09
In reply to I'm not a doctor or anything by ashleenb09