self harm, or ocb?
Question:
Ok…This is embarrasing but why everyone is here so here goes.. I scratch at my scalp till it bleeds…Ive been doing it for 2 years now. I thought maybe it was self harm, but i do not feel the need to cut or hurt myself. I cant stop at all. it hurts after at the end of the day, but i do it everytime im alone from morning till nite, esoecially when stressed. Someone please help me…i have been on prozac and that hasnt done anything. id like to do this on my own..any advice? — Bernadette Rinn nosfe…@mint.net "Usually I try to take it one day at a time, but lately several have attacked me at once…"
Response:
Hi Bernadette, Welcome and thanks for posting on our group! Is medication the only type of therapy you’ve undergone? Do you have a psychologist who is familiar with OCD and perhaps can do cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)? It’s possible that you may need a different medication to "take the edge off" and make it easier to cope with your disorder along with some professional help. OCD can really strike when you’re feeling stressed so it’s not surprising that you are scratching even more when you’re stressed. Keep posting and tell us how you’re doing, okay? Best of luck and hugs, John Bernadette Rinn <nosfe…@mint.net> wrote in article <38AB6B86.9622B…@mint.net>… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Ok…This is embarrasing but why everyone is here so here goes.. > I scratch at my scalp till it bleeds…Ive been doing it for 2 years > now. I thought maybe it was self harm, but i do not feel the need to > cut or hurt myself. I cant stop at all. it hurts after at the end of > the day, but i do it everytime im alone from morning till nite, > esoecially when stressed. Someone please help me…i have been on > prozac and that hasnt done anything. id like to do this on my own..any > advice? > — > Bernadette Rinn > nosfe…@mint.net > "Usually I try to take it one day at a time, but lately > several have attacked me at once…"
Response:
Hi Bernadette, I’m not an expert, but what you describe sounds a little like trichotillomania. Do you pull out your hair as well? Also, if you don’t have obsessions (intrusive thoughts) or compulsions (the need to do rituals) then it’s probably not OCD. If you want more info on Trich you can go to the Fairlight site (I don’t remember the address off the top of my head, but I’m sure someone on here knows, and if they don’t you can type Trich and Fairlight into a search engine). Hope this helps. In Ares Vallis Nirgala Remove "mars" to reply
Response:
Have you ever heard of a behavior called exposure response therapy? It took me over three years to cme to terms with my OCD but it has helped tremendously.
Response:
Bernadette, I have also had this very embarrasing problem for the last 5 years or so. I didn’t think it was an OCD thing until about a year ago when I saw someone post it on a newsgroup. I put it off a whole year until last week. I told my therapist about it (and man that was hard). She told me that this is related to trichotillomania in that it is an impulse-control disorder but that it isn’t trichotillomainia. I guess there isn’t a real name for the problem yet so it’s called NOS (not otherwise specified). Check out this web site:http://www.psyweb.com/Mdisord/impud.html Anyway, I’m going through behavior therapy (5 days now) to stop this problem. I’m assuming that the first month is the hardest because everything is healing and itching at the same time. My therapist suggested that I get a squeeze ball or something to keep my hands busy with while I’m studying or at the computer (I’m a computer science major so I’m always on the computer). I got myself a beanie baby and named her prickles. Whenever the urge strikes I squeeze prickles (damn hedgehog). It’s helpful but I’m beginning to really hate prickles. I had a relapse the other night and totally picked my head like normal. So, yesterday I got the bright idea to tape my fingers. I put sports tape, the kind that they tape ankles with, on my fingers so I don’t have use of my fingernails. I can still type and use the computer. I take the tape off during the day when I’m around people so they won’t see the tape. When the tape is off, I have to fight the urge and squeeze prickles. Cindy On Wed, 16 Feb 2000 22:31:19 -0500, Bernadette Rinn – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -<nosfe…@mint.net> wrote: >Ok…This is embarrasing but why everyone is here so here goes.. >I scratch at my scalp till it bleeds…Ive been doing it for 2 years >now. I thought maybe it was self harm, but i do not feel the need to >cut or hurt myself. I cant stop at all. it hurts after at the end of >the day, but i do it everytime im alone from morning till nite, >esoecially when stressed. Someone please help me…i have been on >prozac and that hasnt done anything. id like to do this on my own..any >advice? >– >Bernadette Rinn >nosfe…@mint.net >"Usually I try to take it one day at a time, but lately >several have attacked me at once…"
