I have some questions about BSRD, OCD and Dermatophagia

[LLaw]

Hi!

I'm new to this forum, so apologises if I'm breaking any etiquette or rules.

I've always had mental health issues, so I've felt kind of like an alien my whole life.

Anyway, the point of this post. Lately, I've been suspecting I have OCD. This is for many reasons, which I don't need to explain now.

About BSRD (body-focused repetitive disorder):

For as long as I can remember, I've chewed and eaten my fingernails and torn at my toe nails. But in the fast couple months its been getting worse. I tear or cut any skin I can around my fingers. I cut my finger and toe nails as short as they can go- it just makes me feel cleaner and....for lack of a better word, 'better'.

For a little while I also pulled the hair out of my legs with tweezers.

Doing these things makes me feel...its kind of hard to explain? It feels right. I feel cleaner with my raw red skin. It relaxes me and helps me calm down when I'm sad or stressed out.

At first I thought I was doing this as s*lf h*rm, but I soon realised I always chopped at the parts that didn't hurt.

So...would this be considered a BSRD? Would these count as dermatophagia? From the research I've done, dermatophagia only counts as picking or chewing at skin (which I do as well) but do my other habits count too?

Do these behaviours come across as symptoms of OCD?

[Sophie_M]

Hey LLaw,

Thanks for joining us at the Beyond Blue forums.  We can imagine these habits would be quite perplexing and would cause you to feel somewhat isolated. We're sorry if this is the case and know it can be difficult to open up about private experiences such as these. Hopefully, a few of our community members can relate and provide some advice on how they manage similar issues.

Do you think it would be beneficial to speak with a GP or Psychologist about these experiences? Perhaps, they could provide you with some resources to better understand what you're experiencing. 

You might like to explore the website "Pickingme"  - it seems to have some helpful resources for those with similar experiences to yours.

If you would like some help finding mental health support, we would recommend that you get in contact with the Beyond Blue Support Service. They are available 24/7 by phone on 1300 22 4636 or on Webchat 3pm-12am AEST on our website: www.beyondblue.org.au/getsupport - They will give you support and point you in the right direction for help in your area.

Thanks for reaching out LLaw.  

[Petal22]

Hello LLaw,

I had OCD a anxiety disorder and it was severe.... I have now recovered from this ...... I seeked professional help starting from my gp through to a clinical psychologist and psychiatrist this then led me to a group therapy for OCD which gave me the tools I needed to overcome it....

id highly recommend you seek professional help starting from your gp.... be honest with them tell them the way you are feeling......

with OCD it was a lot of repetitive intrusive thoughts that would send my anxiety into over drive..... I had a lot of what if s ...... I’d seek reassurance and constantly talk about my thoughts..

here if you want to chat or have any questions..

[geoff]

Hello LLaw, an interesting comment which I don't believe has been discussed before on the forums as some people may classify this as being OCD and while some BFRBs share some symptoms with obsessive-compulsive disorder, they're not actually the same all the time, a doctor would be able to tell you because it can become quite confusing, although each doctor may vary their opinion.

With OCD people need to feel that they have to keep washing their hands uncontrollably, unwanted thoughts are repetitive behaviours you feel compelled to perform but know they are irrational but need to perform.

People who have OCD and BSRD do repetitive behaviours in response to feeling uncomfortable while those with the latter get a good feeling from pulling out their body hair or picking at their skin, some use it to relieve stress, while OCD repeat their behaviours to get away from bad feelings like anxiety, so there is a fine line to the definition and as I'm not a qualified doctor I can't say, but definitely, one who has OCD and would love to debate this topic as BSRD to me only seems to be part of OCD.

Hope you can get back to us.

Geoff.

[Petal22]

Also LLaw,

I just wanted to let you know

your GP can put together a mental health plan with you this will give you 10 free appointments with a phycologist 😊