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A different view on skin picking
Hello all, thanks for taking the time to hear me out. I had been searching for a name for my picking behaviour for a couple of years and only just landed on skin picking or excoriation disorder. I believe it first started at a relatively young age maybe 12 or so. I am fairly certain this is what I have but I am wondering if anyone else here has a similar view on it that I do. The reason I am not 100% sure that excoriation disorder is the correct diagnosis, is that everywhere I look online says that it is a mental disorder. I wholly believe that my skin picking is purely stimulative, like taking a drug. I love to feel the endorphins numbing my entire body, pumping through my veins. I only ever use one part of my hand, in order to get this endorphin rush. I poke the very tip of my palm, underneath my rude finger with any mildly sharp object I can get my hands on. The object can't be too sharp otherwise it genuinely hurts and the pain is uncomfortable and I can no longer enjoy the activity. My sessions can last an hours but I rarely let it get In the way of my life. I can do it while driving, walking along, watching tv, anytime really. I am 24, I have traveled the world, run my own business and have a loving and supportive family, friends and girlfriend. I am a positive person and rarely feel down. Does anyone else feel like they do it purely for stimulation and that it may not be related to a mental illness?
Have you tried acupuncture? Maybe you might get the same relaxing feeling from that. I have a spot at the bottom of my big toe that I love to get massaged. With the right pressure it hurts but in a pleasant way, and makes me zone out. Most likely it's some sort of nerve point. The skin picking is a habit which is very addictive because it aids in dissociation. It also releases dopamine, which feels good... like a drug. I classify it as a behavioral problem because skin pickers are always looking for that high, therefore we act impulsively. Are you afraid of the "mental illness" stigma? Whatever the experts prefer to call it...I honestly don't care. It can be seen as a mental illness because most pickers want to stop but can't. That's when it becomes an illness since it interferes with one's life.
Unfortunately I agree with this, and because of it am considering having to quit using headphones all together... For me it is more of an itch from dermatitis, but the pleasure I derive from it is sometimes very great. Other times it's amazing how much I force myself to hurt myself, just because I can't stand the presence of the scab.