Hello

Hi. I just discovered this website and I am so happy to see I'm not the only person out there who does what I do. So I thought I'd share my story, see if anyone can relate. Picking has been a part of my life as long as I can remember. I have memories of being a kid and picking at scabs again and again until they finally scarred. I've always thought of it as just a habbit. But right around 7th grade I started to realize what I do is bad, wrong, not normal. It used to just be scab picking. Then I started peeling my nails and pulling at hangnails. And then once I started getting acne, I started picking at that aswell. I also pick at my scalp, but it's not very bad. And just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, I started scratching and cutting which just created more things for me to pick at. What bothers me most is that I'm actually ok with what I do. It's fun. But now the people around me are concerned. My boyfriend hates that I pick and I feel bad that I can't stop. A really big eye opener for me was when my science teacher noticed some of my scars and told the principal and consuler about them. Afraid that I cut they sat me down and gave me a lecture on self harm. It drove me crazy that they didn't believe it wasn't because of stress. They decided that because my sister has been going through some problems dealing with suicidal tendencies, it was stressing me out. And that that was why I pick. But it's not. I really truly can't stop. I've told myself so many times that I'm done, that I will never pick again. But it never works. Knowing it's bothering other people drives me crazy. I know I have to stop. But I can't. Help?