dermatillo-bitch

[dermatillo-bitch]

Hey I'm about to go on the hugest rant in the world about why it's important to spread awareness for BFRBs so bear with me.

Today I was in a group chat of mine, and somebody else mentioned their dermatillomania. I got real excited to discuss it, as I never actually encounter other people who own up to having a BFRB.

We had a full out discussion in the chat. It was long, and we mentioned a lot of our struggles. After we had said a lot, about three other people said they had experienced similar struggles before and didnt know it had a name.

I wasnt shocked by this. BFRBs are usually very forgettable and not many psychiatrists or therapists know they exist, so it's pretty hard to get a diagnosis. Many people who have severe BFRBs have to bring the disorder's name to their psychiatrist's attention to even get them to acknowledge it. This makes it entirely more difficult to inform people that they arent crazy.

I went on to explain that Derma and Trich arent the only BFRBs. I mentioned that there are many others, including ones where you might bite your lip until its calloused, and one where you can pick your nose until it bleeds.

Somebody then asked me if the one where you pick you nose was real, saying they thought they were just gross. I immediately told them about Rhinotillexomania and they were relieved to hear they werent alone.

(They also remarked about how long the name was, but most of them have Latin roots and are very long.)

I find the fact that people dont know about these behaviors slightly infuriating. For such a long time, I thought I was alone. I thought I was creating a struggle for myself that everyone else around me was able to repress. I thought I was weak, not being able to stop myself. All of these thoughts are so unbelievably false. If you think this about yourself in any capacity, know that you are so totally wrong. You're not alone. Other people have the same struggles and obstacles as you.

I see a lot about Trich on these "Most Uncommon Human Disorders" videos, saying that it's super rare, and that like, 1 in 3 million people have it. This statistic is so off it's not even funny. Now correct me if I'm wrong, I often am, but as far as I am aware, about 1 in 30 people have a BFRB. That's so many people, so many people who might not be aware that what they're going through has a name.

I mentioned my derma once at a family gathering (dont worry it was before rona) and my aunt approached me after. She asked me really quietly, as if she were ashamed to even bring it up, if I had mentioned skin picking had a name. Dermatillomania is relatively common on her side of my family. Lots of them had it. I told her of course it does, and if she didnt remember it to text me. She sounded so uncertain, and it made me so upset, so sad, that she went more than half her life not knowing that she wasnt alone. Not knowing that she had a legitimate issue that was a struggle for her, and that it was valid.

Another thing is that people who arent informed on the topic of BFRBs think, is that it is a form of self harm. Infact, the person I was originally talking with on the group chat mentioned they had heard before that they were self harming by picking. It is not the same. They are entirely different things, but both are entirely valid struggles. I should explain the difference.

BFRBs fall on the OCD spectrum. They are behaviors that are obsessive and compulsive. They are not the same as a full Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, as those are different struggles and comparing them would not work well. Many BFRBs include subconscious behaviors that one might not even realize they are performing. My don't want to hurt themselves at all. Self harm, on the other hand, is not something I am qualified to talk about, but it is intentionally done to oneself with the intention of harm.

In conclusion, this was a mess of a rant and is super disorganized.

Jk. But seriously.

People need to know about these things. They're really common and it sucks when you're confused by your own behaviors.

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

#bfrb awareness #bfrb #dermatillomania #excoriation disorder #trichotillomania #skin picking disorder #skin picking #rhinotillexomania #body focused repetitive behaviors

[dermatillo-bitch]

Hello again everyone! I'm still completely useless!

#sorry thats just me eternally #yes its about me having 7 open wounds from my derma #dermatillomania #excoriation disorder #skin picking

[dermatillo-bitch]

I wish my nails had something to dig into other than my aCTUAL SKIN

#dermatillomania #excoriation disorder #skin picking disorder #skin picking

[dermatillo-bitch]

My current migraine reflects my depression I think.

Every once in awhile itll spike and I'll just go "owwww fuckkkk" and I think that's how my brain lives its life too

#depression #migraine #sry this isnt about derma my entire head wont let me let this go

[dermatillo-bitch]

Ok everyone, quarantine is ending for some people now raise your hand if you ignored the "Don't Touch Your Face" part of this

Looking at you, skin pickers

I know you touched your faces you're not slick

#dermatillomania #skin picking disorder #skin picking #excoriation disorder #quarantine

[dermatillo-bitch]

Its picking time, bitches. Get ready to completely destroy your skin in tonight's episode of "Why the Fuck am I Like This?!"

#dermatillomania #excoriation disorder #skin picking disorder #skin picking

[dermatillo-bitch]

You know what's not a good combination??

Keratosis pilaris and fucking dermatillomania

Like oh your skin is dry and bumpy??? PICK IT OFF. FUCKING PICK IT O F F.

#dermatillomania #skin picking #excoriation disorder #skin picking disorder #keratosis pilaris

[dermatillo-bitch]

Me: *picks at head*

Teacher: I see absolutely nothing wrong with this.

Me: oh my head is bleeding

Teacher: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

#dermatillomania #skin picking #excoriation disorder #school #we love teachers who dont care :)

[dermatillo-bitch]

when you glance in the mirror and suddenly that zit is gone but your head is bleeding and it's been an hour smh

#dermatillomania #skin picking #excoriation disorder #death to skin