Skin picking disorder, also known as dermatillomania or excoriation disorder, occurs in approximately three percent of college students. Physical effects of skin picking can result in scarring on the skin, while psychological effects can lead to feelings of guilt, shame, and embarrassment from the behaviour and the damage that it produces (Twohig & Hayes, 2006).
It is thought that skin picking can serve a function in aiding emotional avoidance. A person may pick their skin to reduce the distress that they feel. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a type of therapy that teaches clients to pay attention to their thoughts and emotions the same way that they would pay attention to an external event, so that they are more aware of the way that they are thinking. ACT also aims to target anxiety, fear, or urges, and mindfulness activities are utilized to help the person truly experience their emotions rather than avoid them.
In the study by Twohig and Hayes (2006), it was found that using ACT to treat chronic skin picking did indeed reduce the skin picking behaviour, though reductions in skin picking may not always be fully maintained. This result indicates that ACT could potentially be useful for treating dermatillomania, though additional treatment measures may be required.
Citation:
Twohig, M. P., Hayes, S. C., & Masuda, A.. (2006). A preliminary investigation of acceptance and commitment therapy as a treatment for chronic skin picking. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44(10), 1513–1522. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2005.10.002
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