Hello all!
It has been a while. I am addressing an issue that has bothered me for a good number of years, but I never thought to post about here. Anyway..I have this habit that I can't seem to break. I think it may be related to my OCD, or could even just be motor memory at this point mixed with a dopamine response..either way, I've been doing this for almost 10 years and want to stop. It may sound weird/gross to some, but what I tend to do is gently scratch at my scalp, remove any dandruff that may have been released in doing so, then check my nails. (This last part is for the sake of making sure that I didn't draw blood, which used to be an issue in high school.) My parents have been criticizing me on this for years, and make me feel horrible whenever I do it. I just can't seem to stop! It seemed to start after I stopped digging my fingernails into my arms, which took enough willpower as it was. I guess it comes out more when I'm stressed or bored, but considering I have an anxiety disorder the first one is quite frequent. I have heard that this is not a unique issue, so has anyone here done this, and perhaps found a way to break the habit?
Hope for a quick response!
JW
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OCD, Bad Habit, How to Break?
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Hi jw99! This sounds a bit like excoriation disorder, which is often considered as similar to OCD, though there is dispute about that. The wikipedia page I've linked to has some suggestions for treatment. There is also more information at http://www.trich.org/about/skin-picking.html and in the International OCD Foundation's Skin Picking Disorder Fact Sheet.