Anyone from United Kingdom?

Posted May 18th, 2012 by NoMoreNoMore
It's been just few months since I first heard word "Dermatillomania" and I cannot describe what a relief it is..just to know that there are people out there like me.. it's not making it less of a struggle, but it's good to know i'm not struggling alone.. the thing is I don't know anyone personally who has the same problem, I've never spoken with anyone who suffers from dermatillomania, so I thought why not to try and see if there is anyone who feels the same way and would like to share their thoughts, worries, advice, exchange the stories or just let it all out :) Anyone from UK on here?
‹ My story My tips and experience in vulgar detail and also a question ›
On May 25th, 2012 NoMoreNoMore said:
I think I might have reached the point when I have enough of this. I do want to stop picking, but I don't think I can do it on my own. I'm juts not sure what help is out there for us. Have anyone of you talked about skin picking with your GP? Are there any support groups or anything like that available? Recently I've been thinking about hypnotherapy, but I don't know much about it..
On May 23rd, 2012 Sweep said:
Hello, I'm also from the UK! I literally just found this site today as I thought enough was enough and decided to see if anyone else in the world suffered from this too. I am so happy to know that I am not by myself, and that alone has already helped me greatly. I posted this earlier but I thought I would re-post it here so you can read my story and hopefully we can all help each other get through this. Would be great to here from you both... HELLO EVERYONE. I can't tell you how alone I've felt up until now. I've been picking my face for 7 years now. It started when I was in secondary school and it has got progressively worse over the past few years. I have been in full time classical ballet training since I was 3 years old, therefore I have spent most of my life in front of a mirror. Last year I graduated from dance school and decided to focus on other career options. I also suffer from GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) and I thought after graduation everything would ease up. However everything took a turn for the worse and I spiraled into depression. With help I am slowly getting better, however my skin picking has become out of control. I spend hours in front of the mirror constantly looking for imperfections. I use tweezers, toothpicks, pins, anything sharp I can get my hands on to pick deeper. I think that I am making my skin better. But after I have completely destroyed my face and the satisfying feeling has quickly worn off, I'm left feeling ashamed, embarrassed and empty. I then don't leave the house for days and if I'm forced to I don't dare look up or make eye contact with anyone. And the thought of bumping into anyone that I would like to look confident and happy in front of sends my anxiety through the roof, making it near impossible to leave the house even if I have something important on. At the moment I am trying to work through my anxieties and in a couple of weeks I am starting a group therapy course. I'm making progress in other parts of my life but before now I haven't told anyone or admitted that I need help with my skin picking. So please, please can you help me? Any useful tips or suggestions to help me beat this. Just knowing there are other people out there who are going through the same thing has helped me hugely already. I no longer feel alone. I want to beat this as I know I would feel free if I didn't have this constantly hanging over me. I know the first step to getting better is admitting your problem. I've finally done that so now I want to keep moving forward. It's really comforting to know that the people who will be reading this know EXACTLY how I am feeling. It would be great to hear from you.
On May 24th, 2012 Hayley said:
I'm from Scotland :') I'm so happy there's other people in Britain on this site. I use anything sharp too, even use scissors to cut scabs clean off but I don't understand why I do it when I know how bad it is for my skin. Then when I'm done I feel so so bad, ashamed too.
On May 19th, 2012 kazwaz77 said:
Hiya, I'm from South Wales in the Uk. I'm 34 and have had Dermatillomania for about 24 years. I only found out that it is a recognised problem about 3 years ago. I thought I was the only one who done it! It took me a long time to admit that I had a problem. I'm hoping that joining this group will give me the encouragement to quit this problem. I am also here to talk to others so that they can share their problems with me.
On May 20th, 2012 NoMoreNoMore said:
I'm turning 25 next month and I have picked on my skin all my life. Few of my earliest memories are about being told off for picking and how ugly my skin looked, or not wanting my mum to do my hair as I have deep 'holes' in my scalp once again.. Picking has always been a massive part of my life, to be honest it has been my life.. and now when my "bad habit" has a name I don't really know how to deal with it. I mean if it has a name - it's something so much bigger than just a "bad habit'. On the other hand the fact that I can be put in a box and labelled, means so much to me because I'm tired of feeling alone and misunderstood. I just don't know where to start really.
On May 24th, 2012 Hayley said:
I feel exactly the same! It's terrified me to know this is something more than just a bad habit I've not grown out of.
On June 10th, 2012 Spirit said:
I'm in the UK......Blackpool x
For information on the skin picking disorder (Dermatillomania), symptoms, causes and treatment methods, get the Complete Guide to Skin Picking Disorders.