BFRD, have you heard of me? Anyone else?...

BFRD is an acronym for Body Focused Repetitive Disorder

There are many specific types of BFRD, but I would like to share some things on the disorder that I personally face every day.

Excoriation Disorder.

Some basic background

Classification:
"Since the DSM-5 (2013), excoriation disorder is classified as "L98.1 Excoriation (skin-picking) disorder" in ICD-10;[4] and is no longer classified in "Impulse control disorder" (f63)".

Excoriation disorder is defined as "repetitive and compulsive picking of skin which results in tissue damage."[3]

Its most official name had been Dermatillomania for some time. As of the release of the fifth Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in May 2013, excoriation disorder is classified as its own separate condition under "Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders" and is termed "excoriation (skin-picking) disorder."

I have been dealing with this disorder for almost as long as I can remember. When I was younger I dealt with trichotillomania which lead to me pulling out single strands of hair until I had very noticable bald spots.. Not fun for a girl in 4th grade. I haven't dealt with that since, but I still pick my skin to smithereens. It's to the point where I am sometimes stuck, just picking at every piece of skin until it bleeds for hours. The skin around my nails is constantly being chewed off into a bloody mess. I hardly have acne at all, but sometimes I will sit there and sqeeze my pores for hours, regardless if anything is there, leaving scars and wounds.. It makes me that much more self concious. And THEN I end up picking at the scabs that I had made myself.. I also deal with self harm, which is a double whammy when your wounds are trying to heal and all you can do is pick every little scab off.. I know a lot of people bit their nails from time to time, even chew the skin a little, but there have been times when I will go to the bathroom while my boyfriend is waiting for me andif I look in the mirror and see even something that resembles a blemish, I will pick poke and prod, usually for 30 minutes until my face is either bleeding or severely irritated.. Walking out and knowing he sees how beat up I look is really difficult. I know he sees it, he tries not to point it out because he knows how self concious I am about it. I can't even look people in the face aftwerwards, I feel so ugly when I pick...