Severe skin picking/self harm?

amyv1991

Okay, so after a bit of research I've self diagnosed my self with dermaotllimania, which is obsessive skin picking. However, I think that I might have quite a severe case of it. Basically I use scissors, needles and tweezers to pick at and cut my skin and I've got a few deep wounds on my arms from doing this. I get urges to do it and think about it a lot. I know I need help, but I'm not sure if my Gp would take me seriously because I don't cut myself with razors. I've been doing this for 2 years now and I'm finding it hard to cope. Any advice??

j.e.j.

amyv1991 wrote: »

Okay, so after a bit of research I've self diagnosed my self with dermaotllimania, which is obsessive skin picking. However, I think that I might have quite a severe case of it. Basically I use scissors, needles and tweezers to pick at and cut my skin and I've got a few deep wounds on my arms from doing this. I get urges to do it and think about it a lot. I know I need help, but I'm not sure if my Gp would take me seriously because I don't cut myself with razors. I've been doing this for 2 years now and I'm finding it hard to cope. Any advice??

I can only advise that you pluck up courage to see your GP. They certainly should take it seriously.

heartbreak_star

Dermatillomania is obsessive picking of loose skin, like that round your nails or on your lips or around spots. What you are describing is self-harm really!

Please see your GP - they will take you perfectly seriously. Not all self-harming is slicing with a razor and they know this - the bounds of it can be from biting or bruising yourself to pouring boiling water on your skin.

Good luck. Please get some help for this.

HBS x

Mr_helpful

This looks like self harm see a doc or a hypnotherapist.

Ms_Chocaholic

It's positive that you can recognise that you have a problem, I'm sure your GP will take you seriously and offer you the support you need to overcome this.

miduck

Mr_helpful wrote: »

This looks like self harm see a doc [STRIKE]or a hypnotherapist[/STRIKE].

Edited for you - the OP needs proper help, not a quack!

amyv1991, don't be afraid to speak to your GP, self harm is very common and nothing to be ashamed of, people of all ages use it as a coping mechanism. The way to stop it is to find another coping mechanism, and also to address any underlying issues that might trigger an episode. Best of luck.

SmallL

It might not be self harm.
I pick at my skin with nail scissors and my fingernails regulary.
But its because i have eczema so has become a habit to try and get rid of the dry scaly bits.
It does get so bad that i bleed in the areas i pick at most, and as someone said above its very much a coping mechanism- for me i can control the bits of dry skin i take off, even if i can't control my eczema.
I wonder if the OP actually has a skin condition that hes essentially trying to pick off?
Perhaps it started with a scab he picked off again and again which formed the habit.

kiss_me_now9

Go to your GP.

Self harm comes in many forms, as others have said, and is a maladapted coping mechanism to stress.

If you really can't bring yourself to go to a GP, then try using distraction techniques such as snapping a rubber band against your skin when you feel the urge to do it. It's not a fix, and it's possible that it too can become another method of harming yourself (doing it too much will leave bruises etc.) but it's better than what you're doing and will help tide you over until you can go to a doctor.

jenniewb

OP please don't sit here wondering which diagnosis you have or don't have, there are people who train at medical schools and Universities to do that job, and a big publication they have to know which covers every illness recognised, it is their job to diagnose and not something that you should or need to be doing.

I wont say what diagnosis it sounds like because I am not a GP or Psychiatrist, and if you find that anything is affecting your day to day life to a level where it is causing too many problems AND you want to do something about it, you need to speak to your GP. What is important is the treatment of the problem and not the label they choose for you, being understood is the main issue rather then what it is caused.

Mr_helpful

miduck wrote: »

Edited for you - the OP needs proper help, not a quack!

amyv1991, don't be afraid to speak to your GP, self harm is very common and nothing to be ashamed of, people of all ages use it as a coping mechanism. The way to stop it is to find another coping mechanism, and also to address any underlying issues that might trigger an episode. Best of luck.

You actually make the case for a hypnotherapist rather than a doctor

heartbreak_star

No. They don't.

Proven science > quackery alt. treatments.

HBS x