SPOM! STOP Picking on Me! (That means 'you')

Is your skin prone to pimples, zits, breakouts, acne or blemishes? Learn How to Make Peace With Your Critical Self and Heal Nervous, Habitual, Obsessive, Compulsive Skin Picking (Self Injurious Skin Picking Pickers will find information about this DSM disease known as acne excoriado, acne excoriee, compulsive skin picking, dermatillomania, neurotic excoriation, psychogenic excoriation, skinorexia or just plain skin-o-rexic pimple picking.).

  • SPOM!
    • Official DSM Diagnosis
    • About This Site
    • Thank You
  • GET HELP NOW!
  • Flow Charts
  • Recommendations
    • Supplements
    • Get Your Own Lab Testing Done
    • Foods and Other
    • Get Grounded
    • Reading
    • Kiss Addiction Goodbye
    • Recipes – Eat Like Eve
    • Other Resources and Helpful Links
  • Bibliography
  • Blog
  • BACKGROUND
  • Introduction
  • Victim or Aggressor?
  • Nicole Simpson
  • Statistics
  • What’s Going On?
  • Many Layers Deep
  • Pluggin Up
  • Pimples
  • Acne Diagnosis
  • Nasty Results
  • Distress
  • Related Disorders
Home > BACKGROUND > BACKGROUND – Are You Victim or Aggressor?

BACKGROUND – Are You Victim or Aggressor?

Breaking the Breakout Cycle

Victim or Aggressor? Silence is Not Always Golden

A Habit Filled With Shame, But Who is Responsible?

Posted to several medical newsgroups in 1996:

Greetings healers!

Can anyone on the “healing” list — especially those of you who live in Europe — point me in the direction of research on a condition that the French call “Jeunes Fille” (young girl)? It refers to the nervous habit of excessively picking one’s facial blemishes. The French believe that women do this as a subconscious way to avoid sexual attention from men, in other words, to stay young girls instead of women.

In the DSM-IV it comes under the categories of obsessive-compulsive disorder and self-mutilation (self-injury), but there doesn’t seem to be much American research as to the psychological/emotional reasons behind this behavior and ways to heal it. From my own and a friend’s informal research, it seems that women who had critical mothers or fathers, who have low self-esteem, or came from a dysfunctional family seem to be prone to this form of self-punishment. Also, the habit of picking one’s cuticles seems to fall into the same category of anxious behavior.

I will much appreciate any leads on this subject and also welcome comments from women who suffer from this habit (you can write to my personal e-mail address and keep it anonymous if you desire).

Thanks!

No responses came back.

It’s the dirty little secret that’s out in the open. It’s as plain as the blotches on the nose or chin or cheek on your face – yet no one talks about. It is the very real phenomenon of nervous, compulsive, obsessive, and habitual picking. The sad fact is that most pickers suffer in private torment, filled with shame over what they do, unable to turn anywhere for help, and are often literally left unable to face the world.

It is more than self mutilation, more than obsessive compulsive disorder, more than a possible response to physical abuse in childhood or other traumatic occurrences, more than the result of anxiety, fear, or self-judgment, more than a desire to control one’s destiny. It is more than the sum of all of its parts. Habitual picking is a very complex and painful emotional disease that often has and tragic consequences. Self inflicted wounds of any kind are a kind of social taboo and they carry a huge burden of self guilt that sometimes takes a lifetime to overcome.

To me personally, to publicly admit that I picked my face seemed more horrifying than admitting I was an alcoholic or heroin addict (I am neither by the way). At least then I could blame my addiction on a substance outside of myself.

The sad truth is that most pickers avoid the so-called evils: drinking drugs, gambling. In fact they are often over achievers, or at least people who have a lot on the ball. They are often people who tend to carry a huge weight of responsibility. And they are usually accomplished at fulfilling those responsibilities and adept at putting on a very together “face” for the world.

Tammy: I finally got around to reading your notes and the entire OJ Simpson transcript today. Incredible – she picked her face every night??? I noticed that what seemed to get it started that particular night was rejection, since the argument was about his alleged infidelity. And then later in your notes you mentioned that you started after being rejected by your husband.

MM: It’s almost like we’re thinking subconsciously, “I’ll give him something to reject me for” (or something to justify the rejection, i.e. make ourselves ugly) or “I must punish the part of me that is unlovable.”

Tammy: It’s really SO deep, even deeper than I had originally thought because it can’t be compartmentalized. It’s all over the board — self-esteem, sexual inadequacy, control, fear, critical parents, perfectionism, anger, etc. Like skin, there’s so many layers…

MM: Chris came over yesterday and we talked. We did some counseling and discovered what my bottom line was� I have not felt worthy. That is my ultimate issue (for now) which I think has driven me to pick.

Tammy: Christ actually ‘came out’ to me and admitted she is a recovering face picker herself and she says her sister has an extreme case and is suffering drastically as a result. She thinks what we’re doing is great and will answer a survey when it’s ready and will pass one to her sister.

MM: She also mentioned the Nicole Brown Simpson case. I think that is very interesting. I bet lots of closet pickers ‘picked’ up on that piece of news when it came out and identified with Nicole.

One of the first widely publicized mentions of face picking happened during the OJ Simpson Civil Trial when Nicole Brown Simpson was exposed as being a chronic face picker. When questioned about why Nicole Simpson’s face was so red, OJ replied that she was picking her pimples. We know that Nicole was a victim of spousal abuse and must have suffered from low self esteem as a result – and she was also a person with the skin picking habit.

Continue to the Next Page.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Social

  • View StopPickingOnMe’s profile on Facebook
  • View teamSPOM’s profile on Twitter
  • View wholeway_home’s profile on Instagram
  • View UCig4AVzVUSTbJOnhx5tZ3xA’s profile on YouTube
  • View 110382049733415887853’s profile on Google+

Welcome to Stop Picking On Me

This website also contains the original first edition of the book, Stop Picking On Me, written in 2004. I will continue to include it here for free.
.
However, if you would like to get ALL the latest science and healing for your condition, I have written an updated version of the book sharing all of the new lessons I have learned in the past 10+ years. It is available on Amazon.
amazon logo
Purchase it for yourself, OR for someone who still suffers.

SPOM on Facebook

SPOM on Facebook
  • HOME
  • READ the 2004 SPOM Book
  • ABOUT
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Contact
  • DSM
  • BACKGROUND
  • CAUSES
  • STORIES
  • HELP
  • RECOVERY
  • RESOLUTION
  • THANKS
  • DISCUSSION

Domain Names and Website Hosting

In the past 20 years I had to do a lot of research to find good QUALITY caring service providers. Here is where I register domains:
Domains from $0.88
AND here's where I host my sites:
Web Hosting
I recommend both highly.

Please keep in touch

Please keep in touch
Tags: picking skin, picking at skin, skin picking addiction, picking at my skin, picking at your skin, stop skin picking, pathological skin picking, acne scars, pick at skin, skin pick, compulsive skin picking, csp, ocd, skin picking, skin picking disorder, neurotic excoriation, Skin Ailments, Skin Diseases, treatment alternatives for skin picking, excoriation; skin picking tips, skin picking advice; skin picking medical, skin picking 101, skin picking for beginners, skin picking for dummies, skin picking remedies, skin picking natural, skin picking cure, skin picking therapy, skin picking cures, skin picking treatment, skin picking adults, how to deal with skin picking, how to overcome skin picking, how to quit picking skin, Angela Hartlin, forever marked, Proven Tips, Definition, Signs, Symptoms of Skin Picking, Stop Skin Picking Immediately, Causes of Skin Picking, Compulsive Behavior, Skin Ailments, Skin Care, Anxieties and Phobias, Substance Abuse Recovery, Mood Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Pain Management, Health, Fitness and Dieting, Counseling and Psychology, Psychological Pathologies, Dermatology, Alternative Medicine Healing

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • Google
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

© 1996-2018 mm stratton all rights reserved. There is a possibility of text or images used on this site that belong to others. No copyright infringement is implied. These are shared to help educate readers. If you have found anything on this site that needs to be fixed, credited or removed, please contact me.
Website produced by HOMECAMP
Design and writing by meg-o-rama

Available on Amazon!

Accelerated Learning SPOM Workbook

SPOM Workbook Cover 11-14-17

GET HELP NOW!

amazon logo

Copyright © 2023 · Diligent on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in