Characteristics of 34 Adults With Psychogenic Excoriation

Skin picking behaviors: An examination of the prevalence and severity in a community sample

“…A total of 5.4% of the sample reported clinically significant self-injurious skin picking and associated psychosocial impairment, which is also consistent with Keuthen et al (2000). That women represented the vast majority of those with clinically significant skin picking is consistent with others (Arnold et al, 1998;Bohne et al, 2002;Hajcak et al, 2006;Lochner et al, 2002;Wilhelm et al, 1999), and may suggest a gender preponderance to this condition and/or be secondary to societal demands that value appearance in females. Indeed, correlational analyses showed that skin picking severity was more robustly associated to skin picking impact for women relative to men.…”

“…Further, many people report that their BFRB causes such shame and embarrassment that they withdraw from social activities (Keuthen et al, 2000;Stemberger, Thomas, Mansueto, & Carter, 2000;Wilhelm et al, 1999;Woods, Fuqua, & Outman, 1999). Together, BFRBs have been unofficially grouped under the obsessive-compulsive spectrum (Arnold et al, 1998;Hollander, 1993;Hollander & Wong, 1995;Stein et al, 1995), which includes conditions associated with OCD on one anchor point to behaviors characteristic of impulse-control disorders (ICDs), such as pathological gambling.Of the BFRBs discussed, trichotillomania is the only condition given distinct classification in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-R; American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Trichotillomania, affecting an estimated 1-3% of the general population, is listed as an ICD and characterized by repetitive hair pulling which results in noticeable hair loss most commonly from the scalp, eyebrows, and eyelashes (Christenson et al, 1991).…”

“…Further, many people report that their BFRB causes such shame and embarrassment that they withdraw from social activities (Keuthen et al, 2000;Stemberger, Thomas, Mansueto, & Carter, 2000;Wilhelm et al, 1999;Woods, Fuqua, & Outman, 1999). Together, BFRBs have been unofficially grouped under the obsessive-compulsive spectrum (Arnold et al, 1998;Hollander, 1993;Hollander & Wong, 1995;Stein et al, 1995), which includes conditions associated with OCD on one anchor point to behaviors characteristic of impulse-control disorders (ICDs), such as pathological gambling.…”

“…Those who engage in skin picking use their fingers or instruments (e.g., pins, tweezers) to manipulate areas most commonly found on the face, back, neck, or scalp (Arnold et al, 1998;Bohne et al, 2002;Keuthen et al, 2000;Wilhelm et al, 1999). Approximately 2-4% of the population demonstrates pathological skin picking (Keuthen et al, 2000) with associated tissue damage, including infections, ulcerations, and disfiguring scars, being seen in many patients (Greisemer, 1978).…”

Skin Picking Disorder

“…Bunlarla birlikte OKB her iki cinsiyeti eşit oranda etkilerken deri yolma bozukluğunun kadın cinsiyette daha yüksek oranda görülmesi, kompulsiyonların girici düşünceleri takiben başlaması, psikojenik deri yolmanın ise nadiren girici düşünceleri izlemesi OKB'den ayrılan yanlarıdır. [10,17,18] Bazı hastalarda deri yolma dürtüsel özellikler taşırken bazılarında kompulsif özellik-ler ön plandadır. Hastaların bir bölümünde de hem kompulsif hem de dürtüsel özellik-ler vardır.…”