Skin Picking/Dermatillomania/Excoriation

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I have issues with skin picking (also called dermatillomania or excoriation) and I’m wondering if it’s associated at all with autism (though I know many NTs with skin picking issues). I don’t think I necessarily have it bad enough to qualify for excoriation disorder (a new addition to the DSM), though I do make myself bleed often and sometimes really hurt myself. It gives me a release of anxiety and is led by a compulsion to right “imperfections” in my skin (even though I end up making my skin far more “imperfect” than it already is by picking at it), it’s probably related to my OCD (it’s considered a BFRB, or Body-Focused Repetitive Behavior, which are considered to be OCD- like disorders). I know many on the spectrum stim and/or self-harm, but that may not be the same as a BFRB.

I have a really similar situation to what you describe actually. Like you, I'm not sure whether I would qualify for a diagnosis of excoriation disorder under the DSM-V, but I do pick my skin a lot every day to the point where I injure myself and bleed by picking at minor imperfections compulsively. When I was younger, I used to have the same issue with my nails, to the point where I would compulsively pick them until they bled. Now it is the same but with skin, and it seems as though my hands have to constantly be doing something otherwise I will find myself picking at my skin again. I also have professional diagnoses of OCD and autism, and I could potentially be diagnosed with Tourette's (related to OCD and OCD Spectrum Disorders), but mine is so mild that I don't really seek out a diagnosis, at least not at this point). Technically any repetitive behavior, including Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors, is common among those with autism and frequently seen.

Some websites I look at show no direct link or studies between excoriation disorder and autism but do state that autistic people may exhibit this type of behavior as a self-stimulatory response. This PDF shows the guidelines for diagnosing autism in the DSM-V, and repetitive picking is seen as a stereotyped/repetitive motor movement (https://depts.washington.edu/dbpeds/Scr ... eb2013.pdf).

I have been picking my nails (called onychotillomania) and the surrounding skin since I was about 5. Raises in dosage of haloperidol have eased it for a while but the problem always comes back. I have never bitten my nails.

Only recently have I wondered if it's related to autism. No one else in my family has the habit.

*screams*

... I do this too. It's not severe but I do make myself bleed and hurt myself sometimes. Usually I just wind up sore.

It's one of my more unfortunate stims (the only one possibly more horrible is chewing the inside of my jaw, which I do when stressed ). I always assumed this was related to my autism.

I do related behaviors: picking at the skin around my nails, picking imperfections on my face and scalp until they bleed. I've managed to get a little better at the finger picking because I realized that if I use nail clippers and/or an emery board to smooth down imperfections in my skin, it helps stop me from picking. So now as soon as I notice myself picking I get out the clippers or file and trim away whatever I'm picking at. That has been a major breakthrough for me, though I definitely still do it. I don't have OCD. I go back and forth between thinking of it as being related to ASD or just a "bad habit" in my case.

i have dermatillomania as well and have been doing it since age 6. i doubt that it's specifically autism related, but most of the people i met who've had it are on the spectrum.

i do it around my fingers/toes and the bottom of my feet. i've found that nail clippers are very helpful when you have a piece of skin that you can't get off without bleeding, so there's a tip

I scratch a lot at times & make myself bleed from picking at sores. I have skin eczema thou that was really BAD as a kid but I gradually outgrew it as a teen. I think part of the reason it was so BAD when I was a kid is because I would scratch & pick my skin more when I was under a lot of stress or frustrated by something. It felt to me like my skin itched more when I was so I would scratch & pick more. Maybe that's why skin picking seems more common with those on the spectrum, cuz we are under more stress & frustrated more from living in a world that is not designed for us.
I have callouses on my feet that I pick at nowadays cuz my feet itch or feel sore where the callous is. I'm trying to start telling myself to cut it off with toenail clippers 1ce it starts hurting a lot while I'm picking instead of continuing to pick & making myself bleed.

I pick and chew my skin around my nails. Not sure what the correct answer is but I figure it’s a repetitive behaviour and maybe some OCD or something like that. I’ve done it for as long as I can remember and I can’t really stop. I think it’s maybe anxiety related but I also like the tactile sensations too. I do it more when I’m anxious... way more.

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