(also known as compulsive skin picking or CSP) is an obsessive compulsive disorder characterized by the repeated urge to pick at one’s own skin, often to the extent that damage is caused. ~ Wikipedia
Just today I realised that I am not able to stop my skin picking behaviour for a long time. I could not remember when I started it, but I did remember doing it from as early as year 4 in primary school. Today was particularly bad, I kept on chewing my fingers’ skin until they started to swell and I couldn’t make myself to stop. I was consciously hiding my chewing from others at the office so I could unconsciously eat more skin =S yaiks…
Googling ’skin picking’ gives me a better feeling that 1. I am not alone, there are lots of people who are doing it as well; 2. I am a light skin picker: I only pick my fingers, no other place (actually, that’s not technically correct if I include my toes >.<). But the extend to what these people are doing are quite worrying. They pick not just fingers, but face, back, scalp, hands, feet, and arms (~ Wikipedia), and other parts that are not disclosed.
*damn I tried to pick my skin again just then*
Self-motivation seems to be the best (and the cheapest) cure. Stef said it may be a good idea to make my fingers bitter to taste so it will remind me to stop biting when I am unconsciously doing it. It won’t stop the picking, but it will definitely help a fair bit. I am not sure what to put though, any ideas?
hohohoho I have that kind of problems too you know hehehe, don’t know if you know or not, but I like to bite my nails hahahahhaa any idea how to stop it?
I’m not helping heh?
Comment by Jeff — 30 August 2007 @ 5:33 am
No you re definitely not helping =p
I think nail may be able to be treated better, at least you can’t use your finger to bite your nail, not like skin picking, you can use both fingers and mouth to do some damage. I’d say put some hmmm oil? (but then you’ll die if you eat it =X )
Compulsive behaviour is hard to treat :(
Comment by marty — 30 August 2007 @ 5:36 am
hmm, i tend to bite my nails often too…a find if you scrunch ur hand up into a fist you can stop for a while. and the other more effective (though much much harder) way is once u start biting just tell yourself *stop!!* don’t go..”oh, i’ll stop later”…just when you find urself starting..even if its ur hand moving, stop urself!
i sort of know coz i have a similar problem too…cept its playing around wif my hair…and eventually i end up pulling it out >
Comment by pyko — 30 August 2007 @ 1:37 pm
Haha.. this is so funny!
I didnt know you suffer from the same CSP as me. I pick my fingers & toes, particularly toes.. really bad. And sometimes I eat my skin >.
Comment by Nhu Le — 25 October 2007 @ 11:11 pm