(Trigger warning: mentions of self harm)
All my recent inspiration and ideas for posts on my Facebook page and blogs, have come from the multitude of conversations that I've had with other people. 💚
I recently had a conversation with someone and we realised what we thought was completely unique to us, we actually shared. I have never met anybody who has the same issue.
This has therefore prompted me to write this piece about 'skin picking', in particular lip picking, which is a condition that I have had for as long as I can remember.
Skin picking is also known as Dermatillomania. A form of impulse control disorder linked with obsessive-compulsive disorder and other mental health issues such a stress and anxiety. In its extreme form it can also be used as a form of self-harm.
I don't lip pick as result of self-harm, my lip picking is as a result of my anxiety.
I've always known that my lip picking was excessive because I do it to the extreme that I make my lips sore and bleed. Initially I thought this problem was down to just having really dry lips and then realised I picked as a compulsion when I'm bored, anxious and stressed.
The reason I pick my lips rather than bite is because I have an open bite, which means that my front teeth don't meet. I'm sure if I could, I would bite them too. However, I constantly pick instead.
This is a condition born out of compulsion and therefore can be treated as with any emotional disorder with cognitive behavioural therapy.
Distraction techniques keeping your hands busy can also work, so using a fidget spinner, or stress ball for example. In my case you will quite often see me with an elastic band. I like to entwine my fingers in the band and have it round my wrist to play with to. keep my fingers busy.
What makes this different from just a bad habit? Bad habits differ from disorders. Lip picking becomes disordered when it causes injury, efforts to stop lip picking don't work and occur around negative behaviours.
It can cause embarrassment too. I have personally had a case where someone stopped at my desk and mentioned I had black ink around my mouth, when actually it was where I had picked so severely, I had made my lips bleed which subsequently dried really dark.
I thought I would share this experience and issue with you, as it was somewhat comforting meeting someone else with the same issue. Whilst it doesn't have a major impact on me, I wanted to share this in case someone else could relate, so they realise that it's just not a bad habit and they want to seek the help they need. I’ve included some links if you want to know more below.
Someone I'm close with has given me some inspiration for some further blog posts so please watch this space for further postings.
As ever big Love N 💚🌻 x
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/skin-picking-disorder/
https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/anxiety-type/compulsive-skin-picking/
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