A Brief Guide to the Treatment Options Available to Stop Picking the Skin
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Skin picking is something that almost all of us indulge, without being conscious of it. However, it becomes a problem if one were to not able to stop the habit. There are cases when people even go the extremes of injuring themselves by picking skin from various parts of the body. This is when the habit is then categorized as a compulsive behavioral disorder. If you are someone who has got this disorder, then there is some good news waiting for you. There are treatment options available to stop picking the skin. Based on individual cases, the treatment options could vary from psychological counseling to behavioral therapy.
Recent research points out to the close association between picking behavior and stress. The reason for the disorder is attributed to the imbalance of a chemical called, serotonin in the brain. Many a times along with behavioral therapy, doctors prescribe medication meant to restore this chemical imbalance, as part of the treatment procedure to stop skin picking.
Avoidance therapies have been found to be highly effective in stopping the habit. You can stop picking the skin, if you were to identify the triggers that lead to the picking episodes. As part of the avoidance therapy, sufferers are taught to maintain a log of the triggers and also the coping skills whenever the urge to pick becomes hard to resist.
Substitution therapies too have been found to be very effective in stopping picking behavior. A new and more socially acceptable habit is taught to the sufferer. He or she would then stop picking the skin, once they substitute their old picking behavior with a more constructive one. Whatever may be the treatment option that you may choose, there are some simple lifestyle changes that can help you further. One of them is to take a balanced diet consisting of all the essential nutrients, minerals and vitamins. You should also make it a point to exercise regularly. These additional changes to your lifestyle will surely help you get rid of the picking behavior, once for all.
