Dermatillomania is a dysfunction which involves continuing and impulsive picking of your skin which will bring about disabilities of the skin. This impulse control condition is also referred to as pathologic skin picking, neurogenic excoriation, and compulsive skin picking. This is commonly associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), even though some experts say that it is more linked to substance abuse disorder. For the reason that dermatillomania may give joy and may cut the emotions of anxiety of a person with the disorder.
Indications
Those who are afflicted by dermatillomania predominantly exhibit skin picking while 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 irregularities or blemishes. Some may even find skin picking to release their tension. They typically pick at the skin on their face, fingers, toes, lips, chest, stomach, arms, legs, or even their scalp. Scars are commonly seen on these parts of the body.
Because of constant compulsive skin picking, these people are at risk of skin infections. This is especially true when their fingers or the tools they use in skin picking are not clean. They are also prone to tissue damage. In fact, some patients with dermatillomania have swollen, bleeding, or calloused skin. There are also a few patients who have systemic infection, or septicemia as a complication of dermatillomania.
People who have dermatillomania also suffer from low self-esteem, guilt, and distress. These intense thoughts might even lead to further self-harm. In fact, there are several people who have this disorder who have suicidal tendencies.
Causes
Specialists say that there are various hypotheses explaining the probable cause of dermatillomania. One of these hypotheses states that dermatillomania is a way for a person to cope with intense panic and anxiety. At the same time, another hypothesis explains that it's a way of repressing an individual's rage against his parents who might be regarded 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 scientific studies, however, show that people with dermatillomania have lowered motor-inhibitory control than others who do not have the dysfunction; although both groups have the similar chance to look at a number of things simultaneously or jump from thinking of one concept to another. This means that some brain pathways accountable for controlling motion and behavior in pathologic skin pickers may be affected.
With all these theories, it can be deduced that not all skin pickers have skin disorders before they have dermatillomania. Another belief that all skin pickers have a psychosis is also debunked.
Cure
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 can also serve as cure for dermatillomania. Common behavioral treatments include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance-enhanced behavior therapy. Habit reversal training, where the affected person is aided to become more alert to his issue, could also be used as treatment. In fact, some people are suggested to keep skin picking logs that allows them to enhance their degree of awareness on what they're doing and preferably, enable them to deal with it. Some articles introduced mindfulness-based cognitive therapy as the second way of addressing dermatillomania, which allows the person to learn to recognize his problem and accept it, even though the behaviour is unpleasant.
Indications
Those who are afflicted by dermatillomania predominantly exhibit skin picking while 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 irregularities or blemishes. Some may even find skin picking to release their tension. They typically pick at the skin on their face, fingers, toes, lips, chest, stomach, arms, legs, or even their scalp. Scars are commonly seen on these parts of the body.
Because of constant compulsive skin picking, these people are at risk of skin infections. This is especially true when their fingers or the tools they use in skin picking are not clean. They are also prone to tissue damage. In fact, some patients with dermatillomania have swollen, bleeding, or calloused skin. There are also a few patients who have systemic infection, or septicemia as a complication of dermatillomania.
People who have dermatillomania also suffer from low self-esteem, guilt, and distress. These intense thoughts might even lead to further self-harm. In fact, there are several people who have this disorder who have suicidal tendencies.
Causes
Specialists say that there are various hypotheses explaining the probable cause of dermatillomania. One of these hypotheses states that dermatillomania is a way for a person to cope with intense panic and anxiety. At the same time, another hypothesis explains that it's a way of repressing an individual's rage against his parents who might be regarded 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 scientific studies, however, show that people with dermatillomania have lowered motor-inhibitory control than others who do not have the dysfunction; although both groups have the similar chance to look at a number of things simultaneously or jump from thinking of one concept to another. This means that some brain pathways accountable for controlling motion and behavior in pathologic skin pickers may be affected.
With all these theories, it can be deduced that not all skin pickers have skin disorders before they have dermatillomania. Another belief that all skin pickers have a psychosis is also debunked.
Cure
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 can also serve as cure for dermatillomania. Common behavioral treatments include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance-enhanced behavior therapy. Habit reversal training, where the affected person is aided to become more alert to his issue, could also be used as treatment. In fact, some people are suggested to keep skin picking logs that allows them to enhance their degree of awareness on what they're doing and preferably, enable them to deal with it. Some articles introduced mindfulness-based cognitive therapy as the second way of addressing dermatillomania, which allows the person to learn to recognize his problem and accept it, even though the behaviour is unpleasant.
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