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EDsDove , 09 Sep 2010

dermatophagia

Hi. I never knew there were people who accepted these issues as a classified... problem(?). Now I do and am happy to find this site. My issue isn't picking at skin (other than occasional cuticle obsessions), but biting, especially my tongue and lips. I looked at various websites and they referred me here, saying it was all considered the same type of issue. It's terrible. i bite and chew my tongue to the point that I can't eat or drink without cringing in pain. it bleeds and hurts, and I know full well what I'm doing when I'm doing it, but still just don't stop. My lips - uch, I am often asked if i was hit in the mouth, have a really bad cold soar, wisdom tooth infection - whatever - due to my lips being so swollen from biting them. I know I look silly, gnawing away at my own mouth and it hurts like hell. I barely have any sense of taste left... and it goes on and on. i sit there and do it all the while thinking, I really need to stop (bite), I am going to stop this now (bite), ow this hurts (bite) ...etc...etc... I take Lamictal for seizure/ mood disorder and used to be on Valium for anxiety. I quit the Valium because i know it wreaks havoc on our brain, and didn't notice any change once I was off of it anyway. I am otherwise, with the help of good diet and exercise, completely functional and healthy, mentally and physically. Why do I do this?? does anyone else suffer this particular practice? I would love any suggestions on how to stop. Thank you.
4 Answers
Popcorn47
September 09, 2010
Keep looking on the board. Trust me, you are going to find a LOT of people here do the same thing. For some of us, it's our face, or our hands, or our feet,...whatever. But yes, it sounds like you have the same "foundation base condition" the rest of us do, which is OCD. It's just that for each of us, it will manifest itself in different ways. I used to bite my inner cheeks constantly until a cancer scare quite literally scared me out of it. There are lots and lots of people on this board who bite and chew their tongues and cheeks and lips. Lots and lots! So take a good look around at the existing posts, and you definitely will not feel alone! You'll probably be downright surprised by just how many others do the same thing! Good luck and keep us posted.
MAD-am
September 09, 2010
i bite my cheeks and tongue on one side, i dont know why i do it all the time, i wake in the morning and its the first thing i do! without even needing to think about it. i know lots of girls that do it, they dont pick or pull hair just bite their cheeks its weird isnt it. i would like to know what its all about, if it really is to do with ocd etc because then i can approach my doc armed with better idea of how to treat my picking effectively.
EDsDove
September 14, 2010
Uch, i think I am in the throws of one of my longest "rolls" ever. This past couple of nights, i have taken to covering my tongue in salt, after I'v bitten it to bits, to reduce the inflammation. I am hoping it will help with potential infections. That, and it's just another thing to do and another sensation to feel, I guess. Nothing has really set me off. Life is no more or less stressful than normal. I can't figure out what triggers this, or if a trigger is even needed. i did meth when I was younger - a fair amount of time ago - and had my experiences with ocd then. You get an idea in your head, no matter how faint, and it just goes on and grows and grows - exactly like this biting thing. It's beyond my control - as though it's not even my tongue/ cheeks... and not even me who bites (them). I've read a couple people talking about trances. It's weird, isn't it? The trance, the near high; sometimes even light-headedness is part of the ride.
EDsDove
September 15, 2010
While watching "Criminal Minds", this evening, one of the characters said about a woman (who wasn't the criminal, for what it's worth), "she is definitely obsessive compulsive. he house looks like it came out of a House and Gardens magazine". Ok, so this got me thinking about my mom. How hereditary is OCD? How could i ask her, tactfully, about her own experiences? If I blame this on simple heredity, does that ruin any chance of recovery?

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