Dermatillomania Is Self-Harm

Improved Essays
I can understand why people would think dermatillomania is self-harm. Back when I was first trying to figure out this skin picking thing, I though it must be self-harm, too, but now I understand it differently. I used to think it must be self-harm since, really, what I’m doing is physically damaging. How could it be anything different?

What I understand now is that the two are not the same because the intent is different—the mental process behind each disorder is what differentiates them despite their many shared similarities.

Even the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition, has the two as separate disorders, with dermatillomania being listed as Excoriation (Skin Picking) Disorder under the category of Obsessive-Compulsive

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    1. When defining psychological disorder we have to question what exactly do we mean by psychological disorder. I considered the definition presented in an article by Psychology Today. They say the definition was released by DSM-5 it states, “A mental disorder is a syndrome characterized by clinically significant disturbances in an individual’s cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological, biological, or developmental process underlying mental functioning”. According to class notes and discussions, abnormality, according to the consensus has not definition, but there are some clear elements. I think the main focus to acquire when attempting to comprehend a psychological disorder, is to consider…

    • 762 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Self harm is a very known method that people go through when they are sad or feel terrible about themselves. In all cultures it is shown the ‘ideal body’ fit everyone, most of the standards promoted are unattainable for most (“The Myriad Academic Journal”).They might believe that because they already don 't have the perfect body, they should just destroy it all together. Bonny Albo, dating expert, says “In general terms, people who suffer from low self esteem may feel or behave negatively towards their body image might practice a larger-than-normal amount of negative self talk, such as, "Why would anyone ever want to date me?" or, "I don 't deserve a loving partner" (Albo 1). Furthermore, people who have problems with their body also…

    • 1357 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Brilliant Essays

    Mental Health Of Men Essay

    • 1731 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The Mental Health of Men Introduction Throughout history, men have been seen as superior in all ways to women, and this harmful stereotype still plays a role in today’s society. However, it wasn’t until recent times that the idea of mental disorders and health has been feminized and men’s mental health has largely been ignored (1). When referring to mental disorders and health, this is an encompassing term that refers to both affective and behavioral disorders that are patterned in both men and women (1). Although there has been some debate throughout history about empirical mental differences between men and women, it is proven that both sexes are capable of being diagnosed with the same mental disorders. Male and female victims…

    • 1731 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Brilliant Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Cheri Baker Sheryl LeSage EG. Comp. 2 10-9-2015 Annotated Bibliography George, Nneka M., Julia Whitaker, Giovana Vieira, Jerome T. Geronimo, Dwight A. Bellinger, Craig A. Fletcher, and Joseph P. Garner. "Antioxidant Therapies for Ulcerative Dermatitis: A Potential Model for Skin Picking Disorder." PLoS ONE PLOS ONE (2015).…

    • 1406 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    So where is the justification for associating them together? It is appropriate to use the term "dermatitis" for all kinds of inflammatory skin ailments, whereas "Eczema" should be used for a particular and unique dermatitis pattern. Thus dermatitis is a general term, while eczema refers to a particular dermatitis. Another way of looking at this, is that all kinds of eczema are a form of dermatitis but not all dermatitis can be considered to be eczema. Given this definition, why is it that so many people still diagnose all forms of dermatitis as eczema?…

    • 466 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Beginning, from the autonomy side of things, the diagnosis and treatment of either mental disorder appears to be a clear infringement upon our sufferers’ autonomy. Autonomy refers to an agent’s right to self-govern their own actions . What Autonomy entails then is that an agent has the right to choose what ends they wish to pursue and the right to choose which ends they will not pursue. What this means for our case is that one of our sufferers may have a right to deny diagnosis or treatment, as they may be free to choose that treatment and diagnosis are not ends they wish to pursue. To treat and diagnose them would be to undermine this ablity to choose, and hence undermine their right to autonomy.…

    • 774 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Essay On Trichotillomania

    • 1651 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Imagine you are sitting on the couch watching your favorite TV show or a movie you have been dying to see for a while with warm buttery popcorn on your lap, and the remote in hand ready to push play. The show has you heavily engaged and fully entertained all the way till then end, but something else has your attention, the relentless sensation to pull your hair out from the roots one by one or in chunks which leaves a pile of hair next to your lap. Sound scary? This is what sufferers of trichotillomania face on nearly a daily basis. “Trichotillomania (trik-o-til-o-MAY-nee-uh) is a disorder that involves recurrent, irresistible urges to pull out hair from your scalp, eyebrows or other areas of your body, despite trying to stop” (Mayo Clinic…

    • 1651 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Nail Biters

    • 358 Words
    • 2 Pages

    If you are a nail biter, you probably know what an addictive habit it can be. You are not alone. The American Psychiatric Association places nail biters among a group of people known as “pathological groomers,” which is now thought to be another mental health classification. When you habitually bite your nails, your grooming goes into overdrive, and you could actually end up hurting yourself. According to general dentistry clinic of David M Kramer, DDS in Fairport, NY, this harm extends to your oral health.…

    • 358 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Everyone picks at acne or a scab once in a while. When hours are spent ripping apart the protection the human anatomy is blessed with, the picking becomes a symptom of a complex disorder. Skin-picking disorder is a body-focused repetitive behaviour (BFRB) that falls in the spectrum of obsessive-compulsive disorders. The disorder was previously known as dermatillomania, which is similar to the name of its “sister disorder” trichotillomania, compulsive hair pulling. The name was changed to Excoriation disorder when inducted into the DSM-5 in May 2013.…

    • 1091 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Erythemma Case Studies

    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Differential diagnoses for a patient that presents with a history of living in a communal-type holding center for the past week, an itchy, pinpoint, papular rash on the extremities can be scabies, insect bites, atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, and pityriasis rosea. Due to the fact that the child has been living in a communal-type holding center, there is no telling what insects the child may or may not have been around. An insect bite can present with symptoms of erythema, local pain, pruritus, or edema. Atopic dermatitis was added to the list of differentials because the skin symptoms that can be seen with this condition are acute findings of intensely pruritic erythematous papules and vesicles associated with extensive excoriations,…

    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Dawn Stanyon once said, “It’s okay to not be perfect. It’s okay to make mistakes. It’s okay to do something that you hadn’t done, because if we don’t do those things, we never grow”. This quote fits the play of Hamlet, because despite Hamlet’s struggles he still manages to make it through the rough times in life. Throughout the play of Hamlet many things happen.…

    • 1222 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Illnesses are an obstacle in a person day to day life. No matter if the illness is little or big, it can cause a person to be distracted and not focus on daily tasks. Behavioral disorders requires conscious choices to different abuses or dependencies, whereas mental disorders can be translated as the way a person cannot control their actions or thoughts. Behavioral illnesses are illnesses that are made up by conscious choices and are acted upon those choices.…

    • 176 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Excoriation Case Studies

    • 1205 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Some regimens may work better for patients who have certain co-occurring disorders (Arnold et al., 2001). For example, people who also suffer with BDD tend to respond better to cognitive-behavioral therapy (Ravindran, Silva, Ravindran, Richter, & Rector, 2009). These evaluations are absolutely crucial to treating patients because they are able to detect conditions that could contribute to excoriation. Another reason for this process is so that clinicians can double check that their diagnosis is not incorrect (Grant et al., 2016). Excoriation is usually treated through cognitive-behavioral therapy (Jagger & Sterner, 2016) and…

    • 1205 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Research Paper On Cysts

    • 509 Words
    • 3 Pages

    What comes to mind when you think of skin disorders? What about cysts? The idea of skin disorders can make people cringe, because the first thing thought about them is abnormality. Though they are considered “abnormalities”, the majority of “normal” day to day people have them. So what's the big deal about someone having a noncontagious skin disorder like a cyst?…

    • 509 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    It is important to know as both the cosmetologist and the client to know the risks that are in the salon. Accidents happen, people become lazy and try to make it easier on them, then clients or even the cosmetologist could both be affected. Although some diseases that are introduced in the salon are not contagious there are other diseases that are very serious to people’s well being. Skin diseases especially on the hands, affect one in five hairstylists. In fact, skin diseases are the number one occupation-related disease in America.…

    • 1275 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays