Excoriation (Skin Picking) Disorder)
Excoriation (also known as dermatillomania) Disorder affects 1.4% of the population. The medium age of onset is 10 years old.
Skin picking disorder is also sometimes referred to as a “body focused repetitive behavior.” It is also sometimes referred to as an "obsessive compulsive spectrum disorder" (or “OC spectrum disorder”) because it shares features of OCD. Skin picking is not considered a disorder unless it is often and/or bad enough to cause significant distress or problems in other areas of life.
- Recurrent skin picking resulting in skin lesions.
- Repeated attempts to decrease or stop skin picking.
- The skin picking causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupation, or other important areas of functioning.
- The skin picking is not attributable to the psychological effects of a substance (e.g., cocaine) or another medical condition (e.g., scabies).
- The skin picking is not better explained by symptoms of another mental disorder
Causal Factors:
Biologic, Genetic, and/or Sociologic factors. Can be accompanied by Anxiety Disorders and/or Depression.
Treatment Options:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Exposure and Response Prevention, and/or Medication.