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will having to post every day stop me from picking?
Hi
I am 26 and have been picking my skin for about 4 years. Like most people on here, I thought it was just something weird that I did, but its nice to now know Im not the only one out there!
Anyway, I really want to stop. Why today? Because today is the first day I had to take off work because of this. I just couldnt face seeing people because last night was probably my worst picking session ever - I now have 4 big scars on my face. And that really made it hit home that I need to do something about this before it starts to take over my life.
I have no real reason for picking - I have a good career, a great boyfriend, friends etc etc. But every now and then I do it - I dont even realise im doing it, its like I go into a trance in front of the mirror or something - it only takes 15 mins and then my face is wrecked for a week!
A number of trends I have noticed though:
- I tend to mostly pick at night when I know I wont be disturbed by my flatmate
- I never pick when I stay at my boyfriend's or he stays with me
- It has nothing to do with my mood - I can be feeling great and then pick, and I can also be feeling bad and not pick. However, I always feel great when picking and really crap afterwards
- I am really embarrassed about it and wont talk about it to anyone. No one mentions it to me, so i dont know whether they just dont notice (unlikely) or whether they are just as embarrassed as me.
So.....I have decided to keep a record on here each day to see if publicly having to admit I have picked will stop me from doing it!
I would also be really interested in individually emailing someone with this problem on a regular basis to see if we can help each other - please let me know if you would be interested.
So here goes....
Day 1
Today my face is bad (due to my picking last night mentioned above). So I spent today trying to put as much antiseptic cream on it as possible to get it to calm down. However, I have managed not to pick more today...so 1 day of progress I guess.
November 03, 2010
Your story and symptoms sound very similar to mine (the trance, guilt, embarrassment, etc) ..... I also have no obvious underlying reasons for this behavior or know of anything that triggers it...... After my worst ever picking session (2 weeks ago) I did a search on my strange habit and stumbled upon this site........ I learned many thing after reading all day, I had no idea there was even such a "disorder" or that is was so common....... I decided to quit that day and haven't picked since (see my post for more details)............... On the statistics page there is a graph that shows that only 1% of people with dermatillomania have tried to stop and succeeded (on their own) so strangely, this is motivating me to never pick again, so far so good..... I know this won't work for everyone but if it helps you or anyone else, great!! I find that showering/shaving in the morning helps, I avoid mirrors at night....It very hard to fight the urge to pick sometimes but it's working for me..... Hopefully this helps...... keep us updated on your progress, GL!!!
November 04, 2010
hello, i would be interested in your idea of messaging each other when we pick, iv thort before about how this would be a good idea =] x
November 04, 2010
Hi Jelly Baby,
This is my first time on the site. I agree, it makes a HUGE difference knowing other people have a similar problem to me. By the way well done for making it through yesterday!!! If I could get through one day without picking I'd be over the moon.
I'm going to try and join you in this diary idea:
Day 1: Really annoyed today because I spent the whole day in the office picking my neck and it kept me from getting any work done. I felt embarassed and low about myself all day too. I will try and do the same as you tomorrow, but I know I'll battle. How did you psych yourself to not pick for a day, and did you manage it again today?
PS. One day I kept a notepad next to me at work. Everytime I picked or went to pick I wrote a tick on the paper. I had loads of ticks at the end of the day, but each time I actually stopped myself because I was suddenly aware of what I was doing. So I would lift my hand to pick, stop myself and write it down. My plan was to to do it everyday and to see if I could reduce the ticks on my notepad. Unfortunately my busy worklife stopped me from doing it, but I might try it for a week form tomorrow just for interest sake. (I'm a list-maker - so this might not suit your personality).
Good luck. Let me know how you get on. Oh, and don't forget, the reason why noone mentions it you is because it ISN'T as bad as you think it is. If it was then your boyfriend would have commented and asked you to seek help. (My fiancee often asks me to seek help, which doesn't help! But, he knows it makes me feel down).
November 08, 2010
Hi, I'm new to the forum. I pick my scalp and have done for years, I tend to do it when stressed or bored. I also tend to pick last thing before bed- I also seem to go into a trance and can't stop myself and during the night when I'm half asleep and forget to try to stop myself. Anyway I'm really determined to stop. All I've got now are two small scabs just behind my hairline which is down from 3 and they're getting smaller! My plan is to keep my nails short to make it harder and wear cotton gloves overnight- the kind you use to moisturise your hands overnight. I'll post again to let you know how it's going! Good luck...