Advocacy
Liz is an advocate for mental health and Compulsive Skin Picking (dermatillomania) in the UK and around the world. Liz speaks publicly about her experience to raise awareness and reduce the stigma and shame surrounding this condition. She has spoken at conferences and featured on Tedx, BBC News, Huffington Post and Woman’s Hour, amongst others.
My experience of skin picking started from a young age. The illness wasn’t actually diagnosed until my early 30s, by that point I’d been picking for the best part of 25 years and it was only through internet searches that I realised it had a name. I found the behaviour soothing – it would block out tension, anxiety and uncomfortable emotions as through picking, and I’d hit a 'zoned-out' sense of calm. It developed into something I did subconsciously so there were hours where I would be picking my skin without really thinking about it. The disorder became a private vicious cycle that totally dominated my life behind closed doors. My body was littered with wounds and marks beneath my clothes. No one knew about it. I took care to mask and hide the illness and behaviour from those closest to me, wearing clothes that concealed the parts of my body covered in scabs and scars, making excuses and using make-up on my body to mask it.
I began to document how, when and where the illness took place and I began to recognise patterns. When I felt the urge to pick I tried to turn it into something else, something creative. Drawing, especially with charcoal, has become one of my greatest tools for recovery.
Further information from the TLC Foundation
Body-focused repetitive behaviours (BFRBs) such as Compulsive Skin Picking (dermatillomania) and Hair-pulling disorder (trichotillomania) are seldom recognised and treatment is often very hard to access. They are among the most poorly understood, misdiagnosed and undertreated groups of disorders. BFRBs are thought to affect as many as 1 out of 20 people. BFRBs are self-grooming behaviours in which individuals pull, pick, scrape, or bite their own hair, skin, or nails, resulting in damage to the body. Occasional picking at cuticles, acne, scabs, calluses or other skin irregularities is a very common human behavior; however, research indicates that 2-5% of the population picks their skin to the extent that it causes noticeable tissue damage and marked distress or impairment in daily functioning. The behaviour typically begins in early adolescence, although skin picking disorder can begin at any age. Without treatment, skin picking disorder tends to be a chronic condition that may wax and wane over time. Research indicates that some people may have an inherited predisposition to skin picking or hair pulling.
Getting help
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Habit Reversal Therapy and some medication are ways to treat BFRBs such as skin picking and hair-pulling disorders, and in the first instance it would be important to be referred for support via your GP.
Further resources:
TLC Foundation for Body Focused Repetitive Behaviours https://www.bfrb.org/
Download: TLC Foundation Information booklet on Body Focused Repetitive Behaviours
Picking Me Foundation https://pickingme.org
Habit Aware https://habitaware.com/
Keynote Speaker: Culture & Mental Health International Conference, Dr Guislain Museum, Gent, Belgium
Keynote Speaker: First European Conference for Skin Picking and Hair Pulling Disorders, Cologne, Germany
Keynote Speaker: TLC Foundation Global Conference for Skin Picking and Hair Pulling Disorders, USA
TEDx talk: Compulsive Skin Picking - Art as a Tool for Recovery
Speaker: Today at Apple for The Big Draw, UK
Speaker: Body Dysmorphia Disorder International Conference, London, UK
Speaker: Institute of Mental Health, UK
Speaker: OCD Action National Conference, UK
Guest Lecturer: MASc Creative Health, University College London, UK
Guest Lecturer: Lasalle College of Arts, Singapore
Guest Lecturer: Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Singapore
Guest Lecturer: Centre for Mental Health at National University of Singapore
Affiliated Artist: Bethlem Gallery since 2013, UK
Speaker: Changing Minds Festival, Southbank Centre, UK
Speaker: OCD Center of Los Angeles, USA
Guest Lecturer: University of California: Santa Barbara, USA
Guest Lecturer: USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, USA
Speaker: UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, USA
Speaker: Depression Alliance, UK