Dermatillomania
(Skin Picking)
Do you suffer from years of compulsive skin picking with no relief?
Do you find you have gone from clinician to clinician in search of support, only to have your habit misunderstood, dismissed, or judged?
Does your family member or child pick their skin, pull off their nails, or otherwise damage their body in a state of anxiety?
Dermatillomania or “Skin Picking” (also known as “excoriation”) is a Body Based Repetitive Behavior (BBRB) that is a close cousin of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. `Chronic skin picking can be one of the most treatment-resistant expressions of anxiety, and few clinicians are truly qualified to eliminate it.
As therapists, we are trained to look for the big umbrella categories, such as OCD, ADHD, and GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) rather than focus on the particular manifestations of these diagnoses that cause the most distress for a client.
However, at Kairos, we believe that the diagnosis is not as important as the central issue that is motivating a client to seek help. If you reach out to the center with the goal of skin picking elimination, that will be our priority as well.
The success of treatment for dermatillomania hinges on the client’s commitment and readiness to the change process. If the client is determined to stop the skin picking, they may form a productive alliance with the clinician towards a solution.
The core strategy for relief from skin picking is to interrupt the thought patterns that cause a state of distress that provokes the habit, and create an overall shift in the amount of time our body is in a sympathetic nervous system state. The sympathetic nervous system is our “fight or flight” state, and in it, we feel like we must do something to feel relief. For those suffering from dermatillomania, that temporary relief can be found in the habit.
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In contrast, the parasympathetic nervous system is our “rest and digest” nervous system, and through yoga, meditation, and Chinese Medicine, we may bring our bodies and minds to a more frequent state of calm and “rest and digest.”
What about pediatric skin picking?
At Kairos, we also see many skin picking cases with children as young as four. Parents feel overwhelmed by the physical manifestations of the child’s anxiety, and fearful of infections, and permanent damage to the skin and nails. The children, however, often feel attachment to the skin picking. Depending on their level of insight, the children may understand some of the problematic long term effects of the skin picking, but overall they may see excoriation as providing calm. Many see skin picking as a useful distraction from the core pain and the lack of control that an anxious child feels on a daily basis.
We use play therapy interventions and parental training to support healing from pediatric skin picking.
Finding a true expert in Dermatillomania is key. At Kairos, we have a Body Based Repetitive Behavior specialist, Natalia Aíza, and holistic practitioners with training in skin picking.
Your treatment will include CBT techniques, skin picking journals, and other habit reversal techniques. We will supplement this approach with overall nervous system retraining. Our center recommends and sells supplements, fidget toys, and other resources designed specifically for skin picking.
Especially for children, skin picking treatment must be paired with family interventions. We will form a team around our client to ensure an atmosphere of compassion, support, and positivity.
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Want to learn more about how we can help dermatillomania
Change is just around the corner, please contact Kairos Wellness Collective for further details on Skin Picking treatment.