How old when you started picking?

Posted October 13th, 2009 by Moonkitty
I noticed a lot of you were very young when you started picking. I was about five years old (I am 31 now). I started kindergarten at this age and it was quite stressful for me. I think that may have been my trigger. What age were you when the picking behavior first started? Was it a stressful time in your life?
‹ Im a severe case, i need to get help - not sure where to do?? Started therapy sessions ›
On October 20th, 2009 nj101cats said:
I am now 20 years old. I started when I was in middle school, grade 7 I think. My face started breaking out, and I wanted to be popular like all the other girls, so I picked my face to "fix it". I haven't stopped and the problem is certainly not fixed.
On October 19th, 2009 heleng said:
I was about 3-4 I was always picking at something. My mum said it started when I used to pick my belly button, always pulling & picking at it. It is now any scab especially on spots on my face and other scabs I have on my body. I wish I could stop :(
On October 14th, 2009 MagickCat17 said:
I started picking when i was pretty little, I remember my mom always telling me to stop. I think it started to get worse in high school, then by freshman year of college i was picking full time at my arms and it got worse when i discovered i could squeeze gunk out of the pores on my face. I'm currently a junior in college, and it is at the worst it had ever been...
On October 13th, 2009 ldill said:
I was young but can't remember when exact. If I were to guess it would be between 10-14 years old.
On October 13th, 2009 Noscubs said:
Two of my earliest memories include picking. The first one is my belly bottom bleeding. I got scared and run to mom, and she asked if I had picked there, and I admitted. Another memory I have is that I'm picking my nipple and some particle (?) comes out. I'm not sure if that really happened, because it sounds pretty weird, don't know if it is even possible. On the other hand, my one nipple really looks different from the other. I have quite a lousy memory, so I'm not sure when all this happened, or even whether it did happen. A wild guess is about 5 years old, partly because I don't remember anything before that age, at least I think... I also remember wanting to have wounds, so I tried to run so that I would fall. I thought it was cool. I also liked the taste of blood. I was quite distressed as a child.
On October 13th, 2009 daizy said:
I do the nipple thing too... never thought about it being related to the skin picking problem. Just wanted you to know that you are not alone.
On October 13th, 2009 JayLee said:
about 3 - 4, and no i dont think it was all that stressful. My mother died when i was almost 7yo and it acelerated from there. But i dont remember much from that age. I do it to calm my mind, but also as a stimulant when im bored. its a comfy place to be. I dont know how im going to fully get over it, its all i can ever remember doing.
On October 19th, 2009 SweetDeeDee said:
As far as I can recall, I was about 9 years old and started to picking at my both legs and it was a worse childhood that I have and plus, I was sexual assaults by my cousin (13-14), my picking have gotten worse in Jr High through now but not really, I don't really wants to stop:/ but I have to, it could be a much stress of my life so yeah..My mom caught me a few times where I picked at my legs, arms, & back and I didn't even wants to stop because she asked me to stop but I couldn't!
For information on the skin picking disorder (Dermatillomania), symptoms, causes and treatment methods, get the Complete Guide to Skin Picking Disorders.