How Are OCD and Compulsive Skin Picking Related?

Skin picking comes under the category of impulse control disorders. Impulse control disorders refer to those in which individuals find it extremely hard to resist to act on an impulse which might be harmful to them or to others. Generally, there is some sort of tension or stress before the act and a feeling of relief or even pleasure after the action is completed.

Compulsive skin pickers usually cause harm to their own selves in order to relieve some sort of tension. In some cases, the skin pickers seem to derive a lot of pleasure from this act of self-damage. A probable reason why skin picking can help in relieving stress temporarily is that it provides distraction to the people from the stressors in their life.

Instead of focusing on those things and situations in their life which are leading to stress, skin pickers want to get their minds off and hence indulge in skin picking. However the relief from stress is only temporary. And by ignoring the problem, it won’t go away on its own. So, these people keep on indulging in skin picking till it becomes a deadly addiction with them.

The habit of skin picking becomes so strong, that they find it very difficult to control it. They might realize the harm it is causing, but they have become so used to the habit, that they feel helpless and unable to overcome no matter how much they try.

There are many other disorders similar to this like hair pulling, nail biting, binge eating etc. In almost all these cases, the primary motive of patients is to find relief from stress, worry or some other negative feelings. Most of the times, these people suffer from self-esteem issues and probably do not have the mental toughness to handle difficult situations. They try to run away and hide from problems instead of trying to solve them.

They are usually unable to face difficult or unpleasant situations. There could be various reasons for this, One of the common reasons is childhood trauma. Maybe these patients went through difficult and testing situations during childhood. Maybe they were mentally or physically abused while they were kids.

The good thing is that there is a cure for every problem. It might require some amount of will power and determination on your part. However, if you put your mind to it and try earnestly, a door might open up for you. The important thing is not to despair and really wish to improve your condition by overcoming this disorder.