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Am I overreacting? Please read, thank you
Hi,
I'm 17 years old and since I was 11 I've picked the skin around my nails to a severe extent leading to bleeding and sore fingers. When I was 13 this developed to me picking skin on my arms and more recently my face and legs. I searched google to see if there was a reason for me doing this and Dermatillomania come up. But I'm not sure I have it or if I do not to large extent, as some people seem to sufferer to a larger degree than myself and I'm wondering whether I'm just over reacting to a habit. I want to go the doctor but feel as though so little is known about this that they won't take me seriously especially because of my age. So currently I've self diagnosed myself.
Looking on various sites I've seen that therapy is recommended but I cant afford that but I've also seen that taking a B vitamin inositol is good, has anyone tried this?
I work in a clothes shop and customers have started commenting on my hands.I really want to stop picking and be able to wear nail varnish and short sleeved tops during summer and not have check my fingers for bleeding! Is there any advice or help or even self remedies people have tried?
Sorry if this is too long I've never written on a forum before,
thank you for taking the time to read x
September 01, 2012
Hi :)
I am self diagnosed too as I am too ashamed to go to the doctors about it. The way I look at it is like this: Yes many many people in the world pop spots, chew their fingers or whatever, but thats as far as it goes for them. It's like if my boyfriend pops a spot, he does it and thats the end of it. For me if I get a spot, I panic, then I pop it and keep going until every last bit is out. Then I will keep checking it and touching it, I will then check my face and get scared if I find any other 'potential' spots and pop all the pores unti my face is red and sore and want to hide away from the world. Thats the difference. People with Derm don't know when to stop. They believe that they are making it better, when they are making the situation worse.
So if you are like my boyfriend, then you are fine. But if you sound like me, then you have Dermatillomania. If it is affecting your life, then yes you have it.
I don't suffer from finger picking, I only pick at my face. I have mentioned before on here, that taking pictures of me before and after i have picked and then the days leading up to the healing helps me to see what I am doing to myself. Yes, I relapse, but I have noticed it subsiding slightly in the last year. Hope that helps! and sorry if this was too long an answer :3 x