fellow scalp pickers

i am exactly like you...

I understand completely. I have picked at my head since I was about 9. When I am stressed I pick more (I am nearly 38!) especially when driving, but I also pick at my head scabs when I am reading or watching telly. People have often noticed them and asked me what happened, the shame is awful! Can't believe I am not alone! I am having a stressful time at the moment and have to conceal about 6 large areas on my head by tying my hair a certain way to cover them. More shameful still is that I remember putting salt in my grandmothers hair when I was about 10 to get that picking release! I have always thought I was complete weirdo and wished for a normal OCD thing like compulsive handwashing! Odd thing, it doesn't hurt at all, it feels good despite the sores. Have been with my hubby 15 years and let him in on my head picking thing- he will scratch my head for hours in the evening saying ''how can you tolerate that?'', I say, ''never stop!'', my head bleeds sometimes but too much is never enough. What are we gonna do about it my partner in crime? I want to finally go to a hairdresser, how good would that be?

Hey i know this may not fit in with scalp pickers though i am very sympathetic to your issue i just see the post is not very old so hoping someone may empahthise i pick at my feet a little and the skin on my finger nails and pimples if i get them.. but what really made me go on the net about this is another thing...and im so ashamed to admit it...i pick at the nails on my kitty. I love her so so much and i guess it all started when she was a kitten and her claws needed trimming..i just kept picking at them..its crazy i know and cruel.. i dont hurt her..well if i do i stop and then feel terrible about it...she has barely and claws now and i pick at the sides of them i guess im just glad im not the only one with a problem im ashamed about but i dont want her to be a cranky cat and its not just something that i can just say ok stop..just dont do it..its as if im overcome sometimes and just go at it:(

I am a 44 yr old female, and I also pick my scalp. I've done it for a while, and my Mom says I've done it since I was a kid, always telling me to stop. I have very sensitive skin and am allergic to so many things, that I would get itchy scalp and bumps, or a hive or two, or a mosquito bite. Whatever it was, I scratched it till it was bloody, then picked at the scab relentlessly. As an adult, I've always scratched at bites and hives till they bled no matter where they were on my body. I picked at zits on my face, etc., and picked at dry cracking skin on my heels and feet. I'm a picker. I bit my nails and picked and ripped at my cuticles, too. Several years ago, I stopped biting my nails. I still picked at my cuticles, but tried to keep at a minimum. At this point I started picking at my scalp more. I told myself it was because I was having to get my gray covered more often and my scalp sometimes broke out in itchy red bumps afterward no matter what we tried. The itching lasted up to a week, and I would manage to get one or two good sores going. I now have three to four spots on my scalp with scabs that I pick at constantly, especially when under stress. I find I do it mostly at night when I am watching TV and my hands are idle. I've tried gloves,hats,etc,to no avail. Like you, I find myself in a trance sometimes for hours having picked myself bloody. My hand is cramped and head is bloody and I don't even realize I'm doing it. Then I do, I stop for a few minutes, and then start over again! I hate that I can't control this. I finally broke down and saw a psychiatrist who referred me to a therapist who specializes in behavioral therapy. I've only seen her once so far. She has me counting (clicker) every time I pick for the whole week. I see her again tomorrow and she is going to supposedly teach me some kind of coping mechanisms. I must say, though, that I do have a history of depression and anxiety, also. I've been on Zoloft awhile, and we are talking about impulse control drug therapies, but I want to try the dialectical/behavioral therapy first. I'll keep you posted. You are NOT alone.

Hi. I'm new to the forum and this is my 1st post. I'm 46 and have been picking scabs since I was about 3 years old. I believe my teen years are responsible for all my ailments. I was raped twice in my mid teens on top of losing my favorite grandpa-the only man I felt loved me unconditionally. Many other things happened as well. I left my husband 17 years ago and have been a single mom ever since struggling on my own. I've been suffering with chronic depression my whole adult life, (have been suicidal off and on),chronic headaches for over 30 years and 2 years ago, when hormones began to wreak havoc with my body, I started having migraines as well. On top of all that I've been struggling with weight since my mid teens and am presently morbidly obese. And very lonely! I lost my job 2 years ago and have been in college again for the past year. That's opened a new can of worms - anxiety attacks! Can't understand why I'm alone - I'm such a catch! Over the years I added face picking, cheek and lip chewing, cuticles once in while, peeling dead skin off my heals (most painful), and digging at my scalp. I managed to stop biting my nails in grade 4 when my teacher embarrased me about it. I'm covered in scars from head to toe with about 30 active sores. My head always has anywhere from 2-20 sores-easiest place to hide them. If they feel rough I HAVE to pick to make them smooth. When I try not to I get a very anxious knot in my stomach. 1st thing I do when I get up is catch myself picking while having my morning pee! After making sure I've picked every last one I hit the shower and cover my shame with make-up before I will leave the house. I can refrain from picking while I'm out as I know the consequences if I get a real bleeder. When I've completed all my daily errands and am on my way home I can finally attack myself while I'm driving home. That holds me over until late in the evening when I'm watching TV or on the computer. So usually 3 good rounds a day with constant checking in between when I'm home. Guess that's why I have so many right now as I only have classes 2-3 days a week and due to living in perpetual debt I don't leave the house the rest of the week. I have an intimate relationship with food and shaw cable. So I can definately empathize with all of you on here even though this is the only post I've read so far. Guess I just needed to vent to people who can understand. I've exposed my dirty secret to many friends although they don't know just how extreme it really is. I scare them enough when I show them my legs when they ask why I don't wear shorts. I've asked 2 doctors for help. One gave me meds to try (can't remember what as I've been on so many the past 2 years with hormone therapy, depression, anxiety and migraines). They didn't work obviously. He didn't know of any doctors in our area that specialize in this disorder. So I now finally resort to the good ol' internet. I think I actually feel worse after writing all this as in black and white I can't believe how much I'm dealing with!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God I need help!

I too, pick pick pick my scalp. I have two baldy spots, but I have long hair that covers them. I'm not entirely ashamed about it though. I enjoy it, and my boyfriend even endulges me in a "scratch" session once and awhile. I used to pick his scalp too, until he started using antidandruff shampoo and had nothing to pick at. My mom picks her scalp too, and she's 66! I used to lay my head in her lap as a child and she would scratch it, very soothing. So if you want to do it less, then maybe super moisturize your scalp and keep your fingers busy. But relax, it isn't a big deal to some of us.

I am also just a scalp picker--well, lips a little when they are chapped. It's a tempting area because the hair covers it. I've gone two days now without picking. I wear gloves when I'm tempted. Thinking about getting the gel nails. I'm a minister and I've preached about my dermatillomania. Great to connect with others!

Hi! I thought I must be really weird to do this but I'm relieved that I'm not alone. I have a fascination with the flakes that come off the scalp when I pick it and it makes me feel really disgusting. I am a well groomed female who takes care of her appearance, but I have this crazy obsession with flakes of skin!