100 Changemakers for 100 days of BFRB Awareness
When I was accepted onto the clinical psychology doctorate training programme at the University of Surrey in 2021, unlike many of my peers, I knew straightaway what I would make the focus of my research.
I have been picking my skin since I was a teenager. For many years I didn’t even know that this was a mental health condition. I thought it was just something weird that I did, and I didn’t know that there were so many other people out there going through the same thing. I remember feeling both shocked and relieved when I read the words ‘skin picking disorder’ for the first time.
I was not alone.
This immediately gave rise to more questions. If lots of other people were experiencing this, where were they? Who were they? Why were more people not talking about this? And if skin picking disorder was a recognised condition, could I get treatment?
I asked my GP for help and I was referred to NHS primary care services for cognitive behavioural therapy. Despite trying CBT both via the NHS and privately, I did not encounter a therapist with specialist knowledge of the problem or who knew what the gold standard treatments are for skin picking.
So when I was asked to develop an original research project as part of my doctorate, I knew I wanted to work directly with other skin pickers to try to reduce their symptoms and improve their quality of life.
I am currently combining my skills in conducting research and delivering psychological therapy with my own lived experience of skin picking. I am working with a team of researchers to adapt and deliver an online psychological intervention for chronic skin picking involving nearly 100 people in fifteen countries.
The project is still ongoing and we are hoping to repeat it at a larger scale later this year as people have shown great interest in the research. Many people have told us that they are grateful to see anything being done to raise the profile of BFRBs as so few studies are currently happening in the area.
A core part of our intervention is helping people to develop greater acceptance of themselves, which is so important in a condition like skin picking, which can be associated with high levels of shame and isolation. It took me a long time to realise that my skin picking is not a choice, so trying and failing to stop did not mean that I lacked willpower or wasn’t putting in enough effort. Once I realised this, I felt more empowered to live a good life in spite of my picking, especially through helping others.
Through working directly with people affected and being open about my own experiences, I am hoping to contribute something meaningful to the world of BFRBs. To me, that will go some way to making my two decades of struggle with my skin picking worth it.
To anyone out there reading who is also struggling with skin picking, I hope this story helps you remember that you, too, are not alone.
Instagram handle: theskinpsych
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/theskinpsych
Support BFRB Changemakers
BFRB Changemakers supports BFRB healing through community. Our mission is 3-fold:
- raise awareness of debilitating conditions of Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs) such as compulsive hair pulling (trichtotillomania), nail biting (onychophagia), and skin picking (dermatillomania),
- increase and improve access to care, and
- advance community recovery.
Through the BFRB Changemakers Training Academy we strive to increase access to care by offering Continuing Education training to new and seasoned mental health treatment professionals.
BFRB Changemakers is a 501c3 non-profit (EIN #93-1544492). Please make a donation to support these efforts!
