02/12/2022
Skin picking disorder / Dermatillomania / Excoriation
1 - 5 %
More in girls / women
Starts in Adolescence
Repetitive & Excessive picking of one's own skin
Most common sites - Face , Hands , Arms.
Usually with fingernails
Duration - Minutes to hours
Antecedents - Uncontrollable bodily sensation, anxiety, depression, boredom.
Not triggered by intrusive obsessions / preoccupations
Two main types :
Automatic picking - Doing automatically
Focused picking - To release tension , to reduce anxiety & stress
Co occurring conditions - OCD , eating disorders , depression, anxiety disorders.
Generally leads to distress & impairment in social / occupational / educational domains
Treatment - mainly behavioural .
