Questionarie

Hi there, My name is Kelly and I just started looking up information about compulsive skin picking today. I am truly overwhelmed and shocked that I am not the only person going through this! I never dreamed I would find people I could share this with. I've never spoken about it out loud before today. It's embarrassing but I am finding comfort already in knowing I am not alone. I'll gladly share as much information with you as I possibly can. I'm a 29 year old Caucasian female (I'll be 30 in September) I don't have any children (except for furry ones) I'm not married but have a boyfriend I have been with for over 3 years. I am quite a bit over weight (I'm 5'3 and weigh @ 175 lbs.) I am a smoker but do not drink alcohol. I am unemployed and have been on disability for a little over 5 years. My main medications are percocet for pain and xanax for anxiety. I have been picking my skin for years.....I really couldn't tell you exactly how long I have been doing it. I go through spells where my picking is worse than others. Just today, I spent 30-40 minutes in front of my bathroom mirror. I hate doing this to myself. I don't know or understand why I do it or why I ever started in the first place. I've battled acne most of my life. I've tried thousands of dollars worth of products to get my skin to clear up but it just won't. I have done 4-5 rounds of Accutane which helped for a while but it always comes back. I feel the shame and embarrassment like others after I have picked. My skin will be red all over and look like much more of a mess than when I began. I've read what others have wrote about picking and how it feels like you go into a trance....that is 100% true! I actually lose track of time. And even though I feel all of those horrible shameful feelings after I have picked; I feel this weird sense of relief from stress for a short time after. I'm grateful that I have found this website to share what I am going through. I look forward to being able to speak with more people on here and find support so that maybe I can find a way to quit doing this to myself. Thank you for taking the time to listen and if I can share any more helpful information just let me know. Kelly

Age: 25 Children: Just furry ones with 4 legs Married: Yes, less than a year but almost a decade w/ the same person Occupation: Retail manager Smoke: No Weight range: Overweight On any SSRis: No Any addtl info that you want to share: I tend to pick alone but do so in front of my spouse/ family. I feel ostracized if they mention my picking. I wear long shirts to cover my arms but when it's too hot outside, I wear short sleeved shirts and cover my scars with makeup. The only time that I don't recall picking since the age of 8 or 9 was during a point that I starved myself and worked outside ALOT on a farm.

Age range: 25 Children: No Married: No, but in long term relationship Occupation: Social worker/cashier Smoke: Yes Weight range: Average On any SSRIs: Yes, Zoloft 100mg/daily Any addtl info that you want to share: Nail biting since I was 7, and skin picking/eating since I was 10.

age,20,not married,no relationship,medical student,underweight,i have this peculiar habit wich i dnt knw if any1 on world has,that i cant share wat i m eating.i.e i cant drink from a glass if sum1 has drunk b4 me,or take a bite of my sisters sandwich,or let sum1 taste my pizza or icecream or watever.even dont eat anything wich i hav seen some1 else holding or touching.also recently i have developed a freakish tendency 2 scratch my scalp or pick at it until it bleeds.

Age:22, Children: Pregnant, Married: no, Occupation: Server/Cashier @ Italian Restaurant, Smoke: this July 14th marked one year smoke free after 7 years of smoking, Weight range: A littler fluffier than i should be, On any SSRi;s: Dont know what that is lol. Ive been picking for about 2 years now. Usually my face, but it lingers to my chest and arms or shoulders and sometimes thighs when im trying to stop on my face. Usually stress induced, whenever some drama has gone down i seem to always end up in the bathroom picking. My mother and brother also do it occasionally, although not as bad as i do. Its definately involuntary, sometimes i feel crazy cause i have to look in the mirror and talk to myself, telling myself "STOP PICKING DONT DO IT YOURE BEAUTIFUL" but it never seems to work. I have to write "DONT PICK ITS MAKING IT WORSE!" on all of my mirrors in lipstick and i get acrylic nails put on because they help make me incapable of picking at my skin which sucks because im sacrificing playing the guitar by getting my nails done so ill stop. I think i do it because i feel ugly and im trying to fix the imperfections i see but in the end i just feel like shit.