Introduction

Hi everyone- About 2 years ago, I was finally formally diagnosed with Chronic PTSD. During that same period of time, I began self injury acts and suffered from anorexia. My PTSD was always there since childhood but I had repressed it until 2 years ago when a particular incident triggered it and EVERYTHING came straight up to the surface so I had no choice but to finally deal with it. I landed in the hospital for a week and then went on to a 10 week intense DBT program, was put on medications, went to EMDR therapy, got a therapist and a phsychiatrist. All has been well and I stopped going to my therapist many months ago. Well, about 2 months ago, I began picking my face badly. I didn't even realize I was doing it until my husband kept hounding me to stop picking because he noticed that I was in the bathroom for long periods of time and he then saw all of the damage to my face the next morning. I do not have acne but I compulsively pick so bad that now my sores, scabs and red patches are painful. I think one of them is infected. I'm not sure though because this is all new to me. My face is an absolute mess. I'm embarassed but I can't seem to stop. This might be too much info but more recently I've been creating sores on my butt and picking those. I guess because it's a spot that my husband is less likely to notice and it's easier to hide than on my face. So lastnight, I finally searched on skin picking and found the name for it and found this website. After reading and learning that it is an actual disorder and how it may be linked to body dysmorphic disorder, anorexia and is a form of self harm, it all made sense to me. I then was able to identify when I began picking and figured out what triggered this new behavior. I'm so embarrased and I am afraid to let this keep going. I guess I have a lot of reading to do to see what works for others. I'm not really sure where to start. This is the first time that I'm even sharing this problem with anyone. Thanks for taking the time to read this.