Skin picking

Are you struggling with skin picking?

CBT Therapy aims to help you be able to identify patterns in your behaviour. It can also help you cope with feelings that are difficult to manage, which could be the cause of your skin picking habit.  With your therapist, you will gain an insight into your behaviour and then discuss ways to intervene.  Treatment will involve changing external cues and habit reversal.

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What is a Habit Disorder?

Skin picking disorder is where you cannot stop picking at your skin. There are things you can try to help yourself, but some people may need professional treatment.

Skin picking is known as a habit disorders which is classified as things you repeatedly but without a clear motivation or reason for doing so.  Habit disorders can range from hair pulling (trichotillomania) and lip biting, to gambling and pathological stealing (kleptomania). 

Psychiatry, CBT London, workplace mental health, online therapy, ADD assessment, Mental health assessment

When to seek treatment for Skin picking

You should consider treatment for your skin picking habit when:
You cannot stop picking your skin
You cause cuts, bleeding or bruising by picking your skin
You do not always realise you're picking your skin or do it when you're asleep
"My therapist was extremely helpful at asking thought-provoking questions, providing insightful observations, and introducing me to tangible techniques to help manage my anxiety."
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What you need to know

In a clinical setting, Habit Reversal Training is a gold standard of treatment for trichotillomania (compulsive hair-pulling), dermatillomania (excessive skin picking), onychophagia (chronic nail-biting), and other body-focused repetitive behaviours (BFRBs). Habit Reversal Training is scientifically proven to help you reduce and take control of your unwanted repetitive behaviours.
Also called dermatillomania or excoriation disorder, skin picking disorder is where you cannot stop picking at your skin. There are things you can try to help yourself, but some people may need professional treatment.

Most people pick at their skin from time to time, but you may have skin picking disorder if you:
Cannot stop picking your skin
Cause cuts, bleeding or bruising by picking your skin
Pick moles, freckles, spots or scars to try to "smooth" or "perfect" them
Do not always realise you're picking your skin or do it when you're asleep
Pick your skin when you feel anxious or stressed
You may pick your skin with your fingers, fingernails, teeth or with tools like tweezers, pins or scissors.

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