And You Thought Picking Your Nose was Gross....

We have all heard of different obsessive compulsive disorders that prevent individuals who experience them from carrying on an everyday routine, however most people are unaware of the very unusual disorder, chronic skin picking. Skin picking by definition is the recurrent picking of the skin accompanied by visible tissue damage, resulting in significant distress and/or functional impairment. (Flessner, 2) Classified as an obsessive compulsive disorder, skin picking most frequently occurs in females with the onset of the disorder happening at age 16. Since little research has been done regarding this disorder, Christopher Flessner and Douglas Woods, of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, conducted a case study to determine the phenomenological characteristics, social problems and economic impact of skin picking. The results of this study were analyzed and significant relationships were revealed between chronic skin picking and depression or anxiety disorders. The information collected from this study can help others gain a sense of knowledge for a disorder that is normally unheard of.

As I said before, little research has been done on the chronic skin picking disorder, however it was recently determined that a psychological reason behind skin picking is experimental avoidance. Experimental avoidance is the tendency for an individual to avoid or escape from negative private events or emotions, in other words picking the skin to relieve his/her anxiety or depression. (Flessner, 3) This relationship was the basis for the study conducted by Flessner and Woods to learn more about skin picking as a whole. To begin their study, participants were recruited through a link on the Trichotillomania Learning Center’s home page. Trichotillomania (TTM) is an impulse disorder that causes people to pull out hair from their bodies (http://www.trich.org, 1), therefore this website might also be visited by chronic skin pickers, making it an ideal site for recruitment. Receiving 101 responses from their internet survey, the authors analyzed the answers of 92 participants. Of these, 85 were completed by women, supporting the theory that the disorder is more common among females. The survey used in the study included demographic questions such as age, race and income, and phenomenological questions for instance, “Do you experience pleasure after picking?” These questions were included to learn more about the phenomenological characteristics of the disorder. As a whole, the survey took an average of 45 minutes to complete, at the end of which participants gave their consent to participate in research.

Although this study seems somewhat informal, the results obtained are beneficial when trying to learn more about the causes and effects of the chronic skin picking disorder. The most commonly picked area on the body was the face, arms and legs for the whole population survey, indicating a reason for depression in many because of the permanent scarring that can result from recurrent skin picking. A surprising fact found in the study was that those who pick their skin actually spend 2.75 hours per day picking the skin, resisting the urge to pick the skin, or thinking about picking the skin.

In relation to depression or anxiety, many facts were found to support this claim. 85% of participants reported engaging in behaviors to conceal the effects of their picking, and 40.2% of participants stated that they avoid social events all together, for fear of others noticing their scars. All respondents admitted to experiencing some form of depression or anxiety as a result of their skin picking, with ¼ of participants claiming to have been on medication to relieve these negative feelings.

As for the economic impact skin picking has on an individual, the study found that participants spend $160 per year on products to conceal the effects of their picking. A reported $500 per year are spent on physicians’ fees and $1000 per year on medications to relieve negative feelings from skin picking. Combined, these results signify that chronic skin picking can be financially harmful to the victim and/or the victim’s family.

Overall, this study conducted by Flessner and Woods was beneficial in the fact that it was the first of its kind. There have been no other studies conducted to learn of the social or economic impacts of chronic skin picking. Consequently, the results obtained from the study, that skin picking has a major economic impact, and impacts an individual’s social lifestyle, reveal that more research needs to be done in this area of healthcare. If more became known about the disorder, a cure may be found to alleviate victims from this unusual disease.

References:

Christopher A. Flessner and Douglas W. Woods Phenomenological Characteristics, Social Problems, and the Economic Impact Associated With Chronic Skin Picking
Behav Modif 2006 30: 944-963.