Dermatillomania is a disorder that involves recurring and impulsive picking of the skin which often results to impairments of the skin. This impulse control disorder is also known as pathologic skin picking, neurogenic excoriation, and compulsive skin picking. This is commonly associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), although some experts say that it is more related to substance abuse disorder. This is because dermatillomania may give pleasure and may decrease the feelings of anxiety of a person with the disorder.
Indications
Individuals that suffer from dermatillomania predominantly display skin picking when they are stressed out, tense, or anxious. Most pick at their skin when they feel that there is something wrong with their skin or when they note some skin problems or imperfections. Some may even find skin picking as a way to release their stress. They sometimes pick at the skin on their face, fingers, toes, lips, chest, stomach, arms, legs, or even their scalp. Scars are commonly seen on these body parts.
Due to constant compulsive skin picking, these people are at risk of skin infections. This is specifically true when their fingers or the tools they use in skin picking are not clean. They are also vulnerable to tissue damage. Actually, some people with dermatillomania have inflamed, bleeding, or calloused skin. In addition there are several patients who have systemic infection, or septicemia as an unwanted effect of dermatillomania.
People with dermatillomania also suffer from low self-esteem, guilt, and embarrassment. These intense emotions may even lead to further self-harm. In fact, there are some people with this disorder who have suicidal tendencies.
Causes
Experts say that there are many theories explaining the probable cause of dermatillomania. One of these theories states that dermatillomania is a way for a person to cope with intense anxiety and stress. Meanwhile, another hypothesis explains that it is a way of repressing a person's rage against his parents who might be perceived as expecting absolute obedience from that person.
There are also recent reports on pathologic skin picking. Based on these studies, excessive levels of dopamine in your body or consumption of drugs that further increase the amount of dopamine may lead to that intuition of picking at the skin. However, this conduct is controlled when drugs that restrict the result of dopamine are taken.
Other experiments, nevertheless, show that people with dermatillomania have lessened motor-inhibitory control than others who don't have the dysfunction; even though both groups have the similar opportunity to think about a number of things at the same time or jump from thinking of one concept to another. Which means that some brain pathways responsible for controlling movements and behavior in pathologic skin pickers may be affected.
With these practices, it might be deduced that not all skin pickers have skin conditions before they have dermatillomania. Another thought that all skin pickers have a psychosis is also debunked.
Treatment
There's not enough data on how dermatillomania is to be treated. In truth, now, there's no drug specifically made to take care of this dysfunction. However, some interventions for other problems like OCD and anxiety disorders could also be used for people with dermatillomania. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), which are sometimes used as pharmacological intervention for OCD, and several drugs that are used in cocaine addiction may be used for compulsive skin pickers. It's also said that an anti-epileptic drug named Topiramate can also be used. However ,, it is strongly suggested to seek help from a psychiatrist before taking any medicine.
Non-pharmacological interventions may also serve as treatment for dermatillomania. Typical behavioral interventions include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance-enhanced behavior therapy. Habit reversal training, in which the patient is assisted to become more aware of his condition, may also be used as intervention. In fact, some patients are advised to keep skin picking logs in order for them to increase their level of awareness on what they are doing and hopefully, enable them to control it. Some articles presented mindfulness-based cognitive therapy as another way of treating dermatillomania, which allows the patient to learn to recognize his condition and accept it, despite the fact that the behavior is unpleasant.
Indications
Individuals that suffer from dermatillomania predominantly display skin picking when they are stressed out, tense, or anxious. Most pick at their skin when they feel that there is something wrong with their skin or when they note some skin problems or imperfections. Some may even find skin picking as a way to release their stress. They sometimes pick at the skin on their face, fingers, toes, lips, chest, stomach, arms, legs, or even their scalp. Scars are commonly seen on these body parts.
Due to constant compulsive skin picking, these people are at risk of skin infections. This is specifically true when their fingers or the tools they use in skin picking are not clean. They are also vulnerable to tissue damage. Actually, some people with dermatillomania have inflamed, bleeding, or calloused skin. In addition there are several patients who have systemic infection, or septicemia as an unwanted effect of dermatillomania.
People with dermatillomania also suffer from low self-esteem, guilt, and embarrassment. These intense emotions may even lead to further self-harm. In fact, there are some people with this disorder who have suicidal tendencies.
Causes
Experts say that there are many theories explaining the probable cause of dermatillomania. One of these theories states that dermatillomania is a way for a person to cope with intense anxiety and stress. Meanwhile, another hypothesis explains that it is a way of repressing a person's rage against his parents who might be perceived as expecting absolute obedience from that person.
There are also recent reports on pathologic skin picking. Based on these studies, excessive levels of dopamine in your body or consumption of drugs that further increase the amount of dopamine may lead to that intuition of picking at the skin. However, this conduct is controlled when drugs that restrict the result of dopamine are taken.
Other experiments, nevertheless, show that people with dermatillomania have lessened motor-inhibitory control than others who don't have the dysfunction; even though both groups have the similar opportunity to think about a number of things at the same time or jump from thinking of one concept to another. Which means that some brain pathways responsible for controlling movements and behavior in pathologic skin pickers may be affected.
With these practices, it might be deduced that not all skin pickers have skin conditions before they have dermatillomania. Another thought that all skin pickers have a psychosis is also debunked.
Treatment
There's not enough data on how dermatillomania is to be treated. In truth, now, there's no drug specifically made to take care of this dysfunction. However, some interventions for other problems like OCD and anxiety disorders could also be used for people with dermatillomania. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), which are sometimes used as pharmacological intervention for OCD, and several drugs that are used in cocaine addiction may be used for compulsive skin pickers. It's also said that an anti-epileptic drug named Topiramate can also be used. However ,, it is strongly suggested to seek help from a psychiatrist before taking any medicine.
Non-pharmacological interventions may also serve as treatment for dermatillomania. Typical behavioral interventions include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance-enhanced behavior therapy. Habit reversal training, in which the patient is assisted to become more aware of his condition, may also be used as intervention. In fact, some patients are advised to keep skin picking logs in order for them to increase their level of awareness on what they are doing and hopefully, enable them to control it. Some articles presented mindfulness-based cognitive therapy as another way of treating dermatillomania, which allows the patient to learn to recognize his condition and accept it, despite the fact that the behavior is unpleasant.
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