Sunday, December 8, 2013

Treating Dermatillomania, a Skin Picking Disorder

Dermatillomania is basically defined as the repetitive picking of a person's own skin to the extent of damaging the skin. People that have this disorder primarily pick skin on the face. For people with this disorder, the urge to pick at their own skin is so strong that often damage is done to the skin that doesn't heal correctly or it leaves scars. Picking can thus become a major focus of life and can interfere with relationships and general happiness. People with this disorder may feel crazy and out of control, but not know what to do or where to go for help.Very few mental health practitioners have studied skin picking. Therefore a vast majority of people with this disorder go unreported. Treatment for this disorder depends on the cause and the level of awareness the patient has regarding the problem i.e. treatment needs to be carefully individualized--the approach must be matched to both what is fueling the picking and the individual's personal psychology. Compulsive skin picking arising from a psychological disorder is best treated with psychotherapy. When compulsive skin picking is generally an unconscious habit the treatment of choice is a form of cognitive behavior therapy called Habit Reversal Training (HRT).Medications - Drugs used to treat this disorder are also used to treat many obsessive compulsive disorders and anxiety related disorders. Antidepressants (such as fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline and fluvoxamine) and mood stabilizers have been very helpful for some patients. It is recommended to never try any medications without first consulting a physician. Medications are often used in conjunction with cognitive behavior therapy.Counseling and psychotherapy - Cognitive Behavioral Therapy may be used, as it appears that skin-picking is a conditioned response to specific situations and events, and that the individual with the disorder is frequently unaware of these triggers. This therapy includes several techniques.Habit Reversal Training is a form of psychotherapy that helps patients to become more consciously aware of situations and events that trigger skin-picking episodes. Patients are then taught self monitoring and stimulus control. The goal is to consciously control the triggers for picking and by creating this awareness; they are then able to build in various competing responses and habit blockers to assist them with tolerating the urge to pick.Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is commonly used in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorders and is useful in cases of compulsive skin picking where the patient is already aware of the situations and events that cause skin-picking episodes. Stimulus control techniques involve utilizing physical items such as gloves or rubber fingertip covers to reduce the client's ability to pick at his or her skin.Alternative treatments - Hypnosis and self-hypnosis are adjunctive techniques best taught by a qualified psychotherapist. These approaches may be useful for people who go into a trance state when they pick.Dermatillomania can be among the most intractable and depressing symptoms, but with persistence and competent help, real progress could be made.

Curing dermatillomania isn't as difficult as you may think, too many people rely on lengthy and expensive therapy sessions or medications; Compulsive skin picking can be cured without leaving the house.If you'd like to know how to cure this disorder please keep reading Derm

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