#bfrb awareness

[porcelain-rob0t]

on trichotillomania

#art #my art #bpd #digital art #mental health #bfrb #bfrb awareness #trichotillomania #borderline personality disorder #adhd #bpd art #adhd art

[breaking-news-the-aroace-has]

#tw dermatillomania #tw bfrb #dermatillomania #bfrb #bfrb awareness #aroace #aromantic #asexual #aromantic asexual #aspec #breaking news #brought to you by ^him #arospec #aromaticism #breaking news the aroace has #what has the aroace done today #ace #aro #asexual aromantic #asexual news #asexuality #sorry the aroace-ness takes a backseat in this one

[ellabsmanicgf]

ellie with a partner with bfrbs.

a/n - sorry if these are out of character i'm mostly just projecting 🤗🤗

i just want to say to all my bfrb babes that ellie loves and helping in any way she can.

- if she notices that you're about to pick, she'll take her hands in yours and try to distract you from the urge.

- if you're the type of person that needs to get things off your chest, she'll listen to you so very attentively until the feeling doesn't feel as intense anymore.

- and if you're not:

she'll either talk your ear off about the latest comics she's reading or anything that comes to mind. i know she's less talkative in the second game but i fully believe that she'd be as conversational as she could in situations like this.

- if you have trichotillomania (projecting! :3) she'll make sure you don't feel AS insecure about your bald spots or your scabs. girlie is a GOD at making eye contact but i feel like she would do it more often as a subtle way of letting you know that she's not disgusted by your lack of lashes/eyebrows. don't know if this is too ooc but i want this woman to caress my baldspots.

- onto skin picking! she'll definitely help you out with tasks that involve your hands if it's mainly revolving around your fingers. she'll clean your scabs for you whether you can do it yourself or not.

- i feel like she wouldn't quite understand the fact that bfrb's are a REPETITIVE DISORDER and they're quite hard to stop so i feel like she would get mad at herself if you relapsed and blame herself for a while but she'd never get mad at you.

i had more in the first draft but tumblr is A DICK! (@staff i'm under your bed.) but to my babes with bfrbs i love you and ELLIE loves you and YOU'RE NOT DISGUSTING OR HIDEOUS OR LESS OF A PERSON - ani<3

#ellie x fem reader #ellie x abby #ellie x reader #ellie the last of us #ellie williams #ellie tlou #tlou2 #abby anderson fic #abby anderson smut #abby tlou #abby anderson #bfrb #bfrb tw #bfrb awareness #trichotillomania #skin picking #ani's episode #ani's ellie🎀

[waitingforthesunrise]

I love you people with dermotillamania. I love you people walking the weird blurry line between self harm and skin condition. I love you people with healing scabs and scars and bandaids. I love you people who get triggered by short sleeves and can’t explain it. I love you people who have to take deep breaths while wearing a tank top. I love you people with scars that look like stars and planets and stories written on your skin. I love you people with short nails and long elaborate nails. I love you people who are learning to find boundaries around triggers. I love you people who hide your infections and don’t believe their story is valid. I love you people who are caring for eachother in this community. I love you people who don’t trust their hands but are learning to trust their heart. You are valuable and loved and beautiful. I am kissing your forehead and wishing you joy

#Dermotillamania #excoriation disorder #tw bfrb #tw dermatillomania #ocd awareness #bfrb culture #bfrb awareness #living with ocd #ocd

[bpdgotmelike]

does anyone also suffer from body-focused repetitive behaviours (like trichotillomania and skin picking) i really want to talk about it but i don't see many people do that on here

edit: i forgot to mention on this post that i made a bfrb safe space discord server! feel free to join here:

#trichotillomania #skin picking #ocd #obsessive compulsive behavior #actually ocd #adhd #actually adhd #bfrb #bfrb awareness #body focused repetitive behavior #bpdgotmelike.exe

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

Hello everyone,

I thought I would share some information about body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs). According to this article:

Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) include any repetitive self-grooming behavior that involves biting, pulling, picking, or scraping one’s own hair, skin, lips, cheeks, or nails that can lead to physical damage to the body and have been met with multiple attempts to stop or decrease the behavior.

Types of BFRBs:

Hair Pulling Disorder

(Trichotillomania) causes people to pull out the hair from their scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows, and other parts of the body resulting in noticeable bald patches. Approximately 5-20% of people who have hair pulling disorder also swallow the hair.

Skin Picking Disorder

(Excoriation) causes people to repetitively touch, rub, scratch, pick at, or dig into their skin, resulting in skin discoloration, scarring, and even severe tissue damage and disfigurement.

Nail Biting Disorder

(Onychophagia) causes people to bite their nails past the nail bed and chew on cuticles until they bleed, leading to soreness and infection.

Cheek Biting

Often referred to as "cheek chewing," chronic cheek biting can result in a myriad of complications. Redness, painful sores, and tears can occur in the mucosa, which is the inner lining of the mouth.

I will leave the full article below for anyone who wants to read it. I hope many of you found this helpful.

Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs)

#body focused repetitive behavior #bfrb awareness #types of body focused repetitive behaviors #nail biting #skin picking #hair pulling #cheek biting #feel free to reblog/share if you’d like #tw bright colors #tw eye strain

[againstme]

#this is me every day :) #dermatillomania #skin picking #skin picking disorder #bfrb #bfrb awareness

[itsahauntedhouse]

thinking about a time when i was worried about being judged for my scabbed cuticles and my mum told me it wasn't dirty or gross.

so for everyone with a bfrb. you are not dirty. you are not gross. you are not ugly because of your bfrb.

#bfrb awareness #bfrb #dermatillomania #trichotillomania #dermatophagia #onychophagia #onychotillomania #rhinotillexomania #and every bfrb i missed #haunt rambles

[a-linearis]

to my fellow humans struggling with bfrbs (body focused repetitive behaviours):

you are not a monster, you are not disgusting or shameful, you are a person worthy of love and care and respect :)

About a week ago, I had one of the worst episodes of skin biting in months, I'm doing better now but I wanted to put some tips and reminders here!

I didn't know that there was terms for my behaviours until like a few months ago (even though this has been a thing since I was really young), since shame and stigma got in the way of anyone in my family actually doing any research/getting me help (i.e. i had to deal with it on my own :<)

[note: a lot of these are for dermatophagia/onychophagia since I can talk from personal experience, feel free to add your own advice!]

Water is a big thing that can be triggering, since it can reveal flaps of skin (when your skin absorbs the water and your skin goes wrinkly), so a lot of these revolve around water.

If the skin around your fingers is affected, go wash your hands immediately after an episode of the repetitive behaviour! Rinsing my mouth also helps sometimes.

go get yourself some (cheap) hand cream from your local drugstore. I always keep moisturiser on me to use after I was my hands/do the dishes/have a shower/anytime my hands feel dry

Wash the dishes with gloves/use a dishmatic/if you have a dishwasher and it doesn't cost too much to use you can use that

Try turning off the water in your shower whilst applying soap to your body. If showers are completely too triggering, flannels and deodorant (but at least try to shower if you've exercised/once every few days). Equally, washing your hands should be fine, but if not, then hand sanitiser (be careful of cuts though!)

I exfoliate around my fingers with brown sugar like once every two days if my fingers don't hurt, I'm not sure of the proven efficacy of it removing dead skin from the surface but it makes me feel good (it's a good replacement activity)

nail oils! jojoba oil is known to be good, but i used to use virgin olive oil because it's also good (and it was something I had at home). Right now I just use shea butter! just moisturise in any way possible!

There are some things that people say such as bitter nail solutions and gum, but I used to just chew right through those, so remember that there is no one solution that works for everyone (some of these won't help you, and that's fine)

Plasters tend to stop air from getting to small cuts on your fingers so try not to use those (they weren't very helpful for me, at least)

When your hands start healing, gloves can help, but the fabric tends to catch onto skin/nails so be careful with that (and when you're putting on clothes in general)

Nail polish/rings if you like them! You shouldn't feel like you have to wait until your fingers are better before you can look nice :)

Knitting/fiddling with rings/making sure your doing something with your hands can be useful sometimes, but it's totally understandable if you just start with one little piece of skin and you end up like completely wrecking your fingers (when you start, you often can't stop)

Be aware of possible triggers. it's very hard to do this since sometimes episodes come out of nowhere, but I know i'm more likely to start biting my skin after stressful events or during task paralysis/when my brain is "stuck" (the logic is that my brain can be "stuck" on something else instead of all these impending things i have to do but can't get myself to start doing)

Remind yourself how much your hands help you to experience the world around you - You write, read, use technology, make and eat food, play your favourite games, hug your friends and create with your hands! You owe it to yourself to keep them safe and healthy where possible. Be compassionate with yourself (it will often be in spite of the way others treat you - but we are all here for you!)

talking about it can always help too with removing guilt/shame (I am always down to talk) and reading other posts on the tags here can feel v validating (@bfrb-culture-is has been so so helpful in making me feel less alone!)

I do hope this is helpful, this post is as much for me as it is for anyone else that comes across it <3

Have a good day~

#dermatophagia #onychophagia #tw bfrb #bfrb awareness #bfrb #body focused repetitive behavior #tw self injurious behaviour

[swampvoid]

it's crazy how eyelashes exist to keep stuff from getting in our eyes & they often are the stuff & eyelash stuck in eye can be a pulling trigger & no eyelashes mean no debris barrier

#lacie.txt #is this ouroboros #trichotillomania #tw bfrb #bfrb awareness #bfrb culture

[theamphibianmen]

I feel like there's just not enough love for people with skin picking compulsions/bfrb. The struggles nt people/people without the compulsion discuss are often so one-dimensional, it's astounding.

Like sure, they mention the shame aspect, and how it looks (only because that's the part that inconveniences them), but nobody talks about the pain.

Nobody talks about how bad it hurts to be literally ripping off your skin and and making yourself bleed and still not being able to stop.

Nobody talks about the infections.

Nobody talks about not taking care of the wounds properly because you feel like you don't deserve to.

Nobody talks about the swelling.

Nobody talks about the numbness from built up scar tissue.

Nobody talks about feeling your pulse in places you shouldn't be able to.

Nobody talks about not being able to do things you love because stuff gets in the wounds and it hurts too much.

Nobody talks about jagged, hardened skin and nail tissue getting stuck on clothes and bedding.

Nobody talks about people who get personally offended because you "didn't stop for them" (not how it works btw).

Nobody talks about being in horrific pain because you went too deep and thinking "why did I do that? what's wrong with me?"

Nobody talks about the anger you feel when people ask about it.

Nobody talks about people asking why you do it and not having an answer because you've done it for as long as you can remember.

Nobody talks about pushing your pets away because they accidentally bumped into an open wound.

Nobody talks about things constantly hitting and rubbing against the wounds.

Nobody talks about the aspects that only effect the individual. And people are even worse about it when they feel like you aren't ashamed enough. I hate that that's the first characteristic on the list.

#bfrb #bfrb awareness #skin picking #vent post

[porcelain-rob0t]

to everyone who has BFRBs (body focused repetitive behaviors), i love you. you are important, you are loved, and you deserve to live without stigma

#bfrb #bfrb awareness #disability pride month #mental health positivity

[beskindtoyourself]

It's normal to go through phases where you pick more after you had a "good" phase where you picked less. It doesn't mean you're back to square one in trying to stop. Healing isn't linear, just like life has its ups and downs - the weather isn't constant, your mood isn't constant, your surroundings aren't constant.

So when everything feels wrong and bad and messed up and you think to yourself "but I used to pick less, what did I do wrong now?!" remember that this won't last forever. After bad days there will be good days again, I promise. This state won't last forever.

How do I know, you ask? Because it has always proven to be true. You never believe it because it feels impossible when you're down there in the deep dark pit, but suddenly you're out there again and the sun is out too and your journey begins again and your skin will get better. Don't give up, bumps in the road are a part of the process! 💗

#text post #gentle reminders #dermatillomania #skin picking #skin picking awareness #bfrb #bfrb awareness #actually autistic #actually adhd #actually neurodivergent

[the-black-parade-system]

shout out to the people with BFRBs that pick their nose and eat it. I do that constantly, (I also pick and eat at my nails skin and hair and constantly crack my knuckles) and I constantly hear people say it’s gross, but it isn’t to me. Shout out to you guys, yall are The real ones

#BFRB #bfrb awareness

[wolfbitingstarboy]

BFRB Resources for Struggles Like Ours

These resources vary from reliable sites and blogs to published journal articles, professional papers, books, and more. If you have any recommendations for me, feel free to Submit something.

A separate post for tips, tricks, and non-affiliate product recommendations will be linked here as soon as I've posted it.

Now then, some of you may be wondering...

What is a BFRB?

Body-focused repetitive behaviors are among the most poorly understood, underdiagnosed, and untreated group of mental health disorders.

According to the TLC Foundation for BFRBs:

"Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) include any repetitive self-grooming behavior that involves biting, pulling, picking, or scraping one’s own hair, skin, lips, cheeks, or nails that can lead to physical damage to the body and have been met with multiple attempts to stop or decrease the behavior."

(From the TLC Foundation's webpage, "What is a BFRB?")

The PickingMe Foundation says:

"BFRB's are self-grooming behaviors in which individuals pull, pick, scrape, or bite their own hair, skin, or nails, resulting in damage to the body. Many people are more familiar with its sister disorder, Trichotillomania - Hair Pulling Disorder."

(From the PickingMe Foundation's webpage, "What is Dermatillomania?")

The Recovery Village describes BFRBs as:

"Body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) are a group of mental health conditions that cause people to bite, pick, pull or scrape their skin, hair or nails compulsively. While some people with BFRBs have awareness and insight into their behaviors, others do them automatically. BFRBs are often linked with disorders like anxiety or substance abuse. Treatment is essential for people with BFRBs, but many often hide evidence of these harmful actions and have trouble asking for help."

(From The Recovery Village's webpage, "Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors")

According to Angela Hartlin's skin-picking support website:

Body- Focused Repetitive Behaviours (BFRB’s) “is an umbrella term for any chronic behavior that causes a person to consistently cause physical damage to oneself unintentionally through a compulsive act in order to relieve anxiety.” The key difference between BFRB and other compulsive behaviours that cause harm to the body is that BFRBs are characterised by direct body-to-body contact. The website goes on to list other BFRBs such as: hair-pulling disorder (trichotillomania), hair eating disorder (trichophagia), skin biting disorder (dermatophagia), nail biting disorder (onychophagia), and nose picking disorder (rhinotillexomania).

Getting BFRBs officially classified as disorders has been a long, slow process that only hurts those of us who struggle with them daily, as treatments and available resources relating to BFRBs can be very difficult to find. That's the reason why I'm composing this. I'll keep updating this post to the best of my abilities, both for myself and for anyone else it might help.

The good news is that while progress may be slow, there is still progress. Dermatillomania was finally added to the DSM-V-TR under the same OCD-Related Disorders umbrella as Trichotillomania, which has been a big step in the right direction. The more awareness brought to BFRBs, the sooner more can be recognized for what they are so the people suffering from them can receive proper medical and psychiatric help where necessary.

Are BFRBs a type of self-harm?

No.

While the two are not mutually exclusive, the general consensus seems to be that where self-harm is voluntary, BFRBs are grooming behaviors that have gone awry to the point that they are categorized as "OCD-Related Behaviors" in the DSM-V-TR due to their compulsory nature. These behaviors may or may not be driven or worsened by anxiety.

In the case of BFRBs, even though these behaviors cause varying degrees of bodily harm, they're ultimately driven by impulses and urges that cannot easily be controlled. Quite often the triggering event is discovering a physical imperfection in any way for any reason and attempting to "fix" it, despite the behavior being counterintuitive to the goal. The resulting behavior can occur actively or passively, with severe active episodes usually likened to being held hostage in your own body.

There is no desire to harm and very little ability to stop, and then all of it is followed by distressing feelings such as shame, guilt, or embarrassment. We try so hard to "break the habit" that we ultimately beat ourselves up mentally for "failing" yet again. Even though many of us might know we can't control it, it's too easy to blame ourselves for something we feel is somehow our fault.

[Please be advised the purple paragraphs below are personal examples with a few details that may be triggering for some.]

For example, the only way I can come out of bad episodes is when my bodily literally cannot continue. This may look like my back giving out from leaning on the counter in the bathroom, or my legs going completely numb from sitting for too long, or (much more commonly) my fingers or nailbeds hurt too much for me to keep using them, regardless of how much I may or may not have bled.

This is always followed up by what I call the "walk of shame" phase as I clean up every injury, apply Neosporin or other balms/salves, and bandage what I can. I've burst into tears before when I had to use Neosporin like it was lotion in order to cover everything, because I had too many wounds on my arms to be able to safely apply bandages/plasters.

No part of that process, from the trigger response to the cleanup, is something I want to do. If I had a say in it, I'd never pick or bite ever again, and my skin would finally be able to heal.

Self-harm, on the other hand, is a term reserved for bodily harm that is deliberately inflicted on oneself, usually as a way of dealing with difficult emotions, memories, situations, or experiences. Instead of acting on an uncontrollable compulsion, this type of harm stems from a different set of triggers, many of which relate to trauma or other disorders. This makes the behavior more of an unhealthy coping mechanism for people in pain who are desperate for release from those feelings.

Note: If you are unsure if your behaviors are a result of a BFRB or self-harm, Crisis Text Line is a good resource:

"Self-harm is serious. And, while the intention behind self-harm usually is not death, it can still be dangerous—both physically and emotionally. Talking to someone who can help you find alternatives is incredibly important. Of course, you can start by texting us. Also, consider telling someone you know who can help you connect with a professional."

General BFRB Resources:

Sites:

The TLC Foundation - "The TLC Foundation for Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors helps end isolation and shame for people experiencing hair pulling, skin picking, nail biting, cheek biting, and associated behaviors." They feature a robust website full of information on all BFRBs, including "Medications for BFRBs" and "Evidence-based Therapeutic Treatment for BFRBs."

The Recovery Village - "The Recovery Village aims to improve the quality of life for people struggling with substance use or mental health disorder with fact-based content about the nature of behavioral health conditions, treatment options and their related outcomes. We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals." (BFRB-specific information can be found here.)

SkinPick.Com - While this site is centered around skin picking/excoriation disorder/dermatillomania, they have excellent resources for other BFRBs as well, including their Glossary page, "Complete List of BFRBs," and the blog section for "Related Disorders." I have also listed their site in the Dermatillomania section below.

Articles:

Online Journal: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Special Issue: "Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviours (BFRBs). Risk Factors, Prevention, Treatment"

The Recovery Village’s article, "7 Myths About Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors"

The Recovery Village’s article, "8 Little Known Facts About Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors"

Outreach:

"Health Education & Community Programs" (the TLC Foundation)

Communities & Support:

PickingMe Foundation's Online Support Group.

TLC Foundation's Support Group Directory for peer-led support groups.

SkinPick's online Forum.

Self-Help:

Nathan Peterson's ComB Model for BFRB Treatment, Part 1 and Part 2 on YouTube. Peterson is a licensed OCD specialist who helps people with OCD, anxiety, and BFRBs in person, through his OCD & Anxiety YouTube channel, and through his site, OCD-Anxiety.Com. (His BFRB specific course can be found on his site here.)

SkinPick's free self-guided program to stop skin-picking.

PickingMe Foundation's Derma Resource Packets "...are our campaign to spread Dermatillomania awareness to skin care providers (Dermatologists, Estheticians, Nail Salons, Clinicians), mental health professionals, and anyone who wants more info! We provide them with tools and the opportunity to point Skin Picking Disorder sufferers in the right direction."

PickingMe Foundation's Management Tips page, a "growing list of tips and management strategies!"

Mobile Apps:

SkinPick App – "A free tool to monitor your skin picking behaviors."

Specific BFRB Resources:

Onychophagia:

Not every instance of nail-biting is considered onychophagia. Most nail-biting behavior dissipates over time. It’s when it doesn’t that the behavior requires a closer look. Chronic nail-biting is categorized as an obsessive-compulsive related disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR).

SkinPick's blog post, "Onychophagia: More Than a Nervous Habit"

"Art of Prevention: The importance of tackling the nail biting habit," authored by Mohsen Baghchechi BS, Janice L. Pelletier MD, FAAP, Sharon E. Jacob MD, FAAD, FAAP. Published in the International Journal of Women's Dermatology, Volume 7, Issue 3, June 2021, Pages 309-313.

"Update on Diagnosis and Management of Onychophagia and Onychotillomania," authored by Debra K. Lee and Shari R. Lipner. Published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022, 19, no. 6: 3392.

Dermatophagia:

Formerly referred to as "wolf-biting," dermatophagia has yet to be recognized as a diagnosable disorder.

SkinPick's blog post, "Do you eat your own skin after picking? There's a name for that."

SkinPick's blog post, "Dermatophagia - What is it?"

Dermatillomania:

Dermatillomania means “Skin Pulling Madness,” and has only been diagnosable since 2013. It is currently classified as an “Obsessive-Compulsive and related disorder” in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), where it is listed as Excoriation Disorder. However, it is known by many names, such as: Skin Picking Disorder, Compulsive Skin Picking, Acne Excoriée, Pathological Excoriation, Neurotic Excoriation, Pathological Skin Picking, and Psychogenic Excoriation. The many names for this disorder cause interference with its understanding and awareness.

Dermatillomania is often confused with other conditions. Common misdiagnoses result because the picking behavior is a result of a medical condition, confused with OCD, Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and in some cases, Non-suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI).

PickingMe Foundation - "Picking Me Foundation NFP is the only donor-supported non-profit dedicated to advocating for Dermatillomania (Skin Picking Disorder) sufferers, supporters, and educational communities alike, encouraging individuals to choose themselves over the mental illness that chose them by #PickingMe over Skin-Picking."

Angela Hartlin's Skin Picking Support website. Hartlin is the author of, "FOREVER MARKED: A Dermatillomania Diary" and the creator of the documentary, "Scars of Shame," which you can watch for free here with the password, "Scars1" (Thanks, Angela!)

SkinPick.Com - "SkinPick is the #1 platform to treat excoriation disorder (dermatillomania). Get one-on-one support from a therapist specializing in treating compulsive skin-picking through evidence-based techniques."

SkinPick's "Do I Have Dermatillomania?" Test

SkinPick's blog post. "Skin Picking and Body-Focussed Repetitive Behaviours (BFRB)"

Stuff That Works’ page, “Excoriation (Skin-Picking) Disorder”

Trichotillomania:

Probably the most famous BFRB, Trich has the most resources available thanks to being the first diagnosable BFRB. The resources below are more general as a result:

TrichStop - "TrichStop is the world’s leading platform for Trichotillomania treatment. Get one-on-one support from a therapist specializing in treating compulsive hair pulling through evidence-based techniques." From the same support team behind SkinPick.Com.

TrichStop's "Do I Have Trichotillomania?" Test

TrichStop's blog post, "Trich and Comorbid Disorders: What We Are Learning"

The TLC Foundation's Trichotillomania page.

"Trichotillomania," authored by Aubree D. Pereyra; Abdolreza Saadabadi. Published in StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. (Ongoing)

More to come.

There are more BFRBs than this out there, but I don't have the resources gathered for them yet. Hopefully the General resources help! I'll update this as I have time. In the meantime, I wish you all luck on your BFRB journeys.

-> Anxious? Try This:

#bfrb #bfrb awareness #resources #bfrb resources #dermatillomania #dermatophagia #onychophagia #trichotillomania #mental heath support #mental health #signal boost #awareness #mental health resources #compulsion #obsessive compulsive disorder #anxiety #skin biting #skin picking #nail biting #self help #bfrb research #psychology #psychology research #abnormal psychology #bfrb studies

[fairiencarnate]

Hey you can go foundation-less with spots and be cute, just sayin' 🌼

#old photos but my face is like this rn and im trying to remind myself #my face #dermatillomania #skin picking #bfrb awareness #bfrb #tw bfrb #skin neutrality #skin positivity #acne positivity #self love #self acceptance #body focused repetitive behavior