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I have a severe scalp picking problem, I can't stop! Please respond
I have been picking and scratching my scalp for 2 years at least. I am 14 and have OCD. I pick and pick until I draw blood and leave a scab then I pick the scab off and draw more blood and grease. I am ashamed of myself. I am glad to know that there are others like me. Please respond if you have scalp picking problems, or any other skin picking problems. We need to stick together
August 27, 2010
Hey there,
First of all, I'm glad to see you've had the strength to come in here and post! Admitting it's a real problem is the first step to recovery, of course. Second of all, sounds just like me when I was 14. I was incredibly afraid of going to the hairdresser for a cut, I'd figure I'd need to come up with some ridiculous excuse for why there were big sore spots on my scalp. I'd lose hair where the wounds were. but fortunately if you're young like yourself if you stop hair will grow back. I'm now 23 and no longer pick, so it definitely is possible! We always try to find ways to comfort ourselves, and skin picking releases a chemical in the body called endorphins that give us that "rush". But so does exercising. Before I got sick (check out the "picking related to cancer" post) I ran several times a week and exercised, which helped me cut waaaay back on the amount of picking I did. Whenever I feel the need to pick I still have to clench my firsts for a while and distract myself with other thoughts in my mind, but it works. As long as you stay strong, you can stop picking, even though the urge is a life-long struggle. If you ever need to talk, there's always someone who will post back to you in the forums :) I wish you the best of luck!