Dermatophagy

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As dermatophagia refers to a form of impulse control disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder , the affected obsessively in in their own skin to bite. Typical is biting of the skin around the fingernails (known as perionychophagia ), which can lead to bleeding and, after a while, even discoloration of the skin. Some of those affected consume the cut pieces of skin. If the skin is bitten off but not eaten, the term dermatodaxia is preferred.

The behavior associated with skin biting is not solely a compulsive response to an anxious or obsessive perception; it's impulsive . In artistic representations, too, “biting your finger” is a generally known sign of consternation or horror. Although skin biting can be accompanied by anxiety and obsessive-compulsive thoughts, unlike obsessive-compulsive disorder, their presence is not a diagnostic requirement for the person's behavior.

behavior

Dermatophageal sufferers compulsively chew on their skin and can do this on many parts of their body. Typically, they bite the skin that surrounds their fingernails and knuckles. In addition, many sufferers bite the skin inside the mouth as well as the inside of the cheeks and lips, which can cause blisters to form inside and outside the mouth. If the behavior goes unobserved for a long period of time, calluses can form in the areas where those affected chew the most on their skin. Skin biting can be aggravated by periods of tension and anxiety, as well as other unpleasant events. Calluses or blisters, in particular, can cause a sensation or an urge to peel or bite off the affected areas of the skin, as the skin is easier to peel off in those areas. This can lead to infections.

Another disorder known as dermatillomania , which is defined by the tugging / pulling of one's own skin, can be a side effect of dermatophagia.

People with dermatophagia can also be susceptible to infection because when they bite open certain areas of the skin - for example their fingers - they become more accessible to bacteria entering the wounds. Dermatophagia can be viewed as a "sister obsessive-compulsive disorder" to trichophagia , which involves compulsive biting and consuming one's own hair. Habit reversal training and decoupling ( self-help ) are recommended as therapeutic measures .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Steffen Moritz, Michael Rufer, Stella Schmotz: Recovery from pathological skin picking and dermatodaxia using a revised decoupling protocol . In: Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology . n / a, n / a, ISSN  1473-2165 , doi : 10.1111 / jocd.13378 ( wiley.com [accessed May 24, 2020]).
2. ^ Panagiotis Mitropoulos, Scott A. Norton: Dermatophagia or dermatodaxia? In: Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology . tape 53 , no. 2 , August 2005, p. 365 , doi : 10.1016 / j.jaad.2005.04.021 ( elsevier.com [accessed May 24, 2020]).
3. ^ Peter Lamborn Wilson , Karl Schlamminger: Weaver of Tales. Persian Picture Rugs / Persian tapestries. Linked myths. Callwey, Munich 1980, ISBN 3-7667-0532-6 , pp. 46–77 ( Die Liebesdichtung ), here: pp. 73–75. (Persian carpet from 1912).
4. ^ NH Azrin, RG Nunn: Habit-reversal: A method of eliminating nervous habits and tics . In: Behavior Research and Therapy . tape 11 , no. 4 , November 1973, pp. 619–628 , doi : 10.1016 / 0005-7967 (73) 90119-8 ( elsevier.com [accessed May 24, 2020]).

This article is about a health issue. It is not used for self-diagnosis and does not replace a diagnosis by a doctor. Please note the information on health issues !