Posted by Noa on January 18, 2001, at 16:36:05
In reply to Re: Bizzarre compulsive behaviors anyone?, posted by julesvox on January 17, 2001, at 23:58:36
Thanks for the link--it was interesting.
I do think my scalp scratching started because I had very dry skin, especially the scalp, when I was young, and had horrible itching, especially in the winter.
I think I went from scratching the itches, to picking at the scabs that developed from the severe itching-scratching, and then it became a nervous habit.
However, I still think there has to be an underlying biochemical-behavior loop because my brother also does this.I also wonder about any connection to typcial social behavior in primates--checking for fleas on self and others, etc.
The itching eventually became controlled by medicated shampoo, and then just by using head and shoulders. But the scratching/picking at dandruff, etc. continued intermittently.
It spread to the face when acne developed and this was intermittent, too. In the past few years, my acne has been bad and the face picking worsened. I don't know if it is also related to medication. The acne is related to insulin resistance and irregular periods. But my face is made worse by the picking--I know that the acne itself isn't as unsightly as the results of what I do to it. I try to be aware of this, and as illogical as it is, sometimes I just cannot suppress the urge.
Let's keep this thread alive--I'd like to think we can think of ourselves as a research group in search of information together.
poster:Noa
thread:3929
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20010105/msgs/4050.html