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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 21 of 21. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Eddie Sylvano on February 6, 2003, at 12:16:02
Over the past year or so, I've developed an increasing habit of mindlessly picking at the skin around my thumbnails with my other fingernails, seperating the skin from around the nail and then tearing it off (gross... I know). It's gotten to the point that I'm reshaping the growth and distribution of my thumbnails, and am moving on to my index fingers.
I do this almost without thought, usually when I'm doing something else that leaves my hands free. I don't know why I do this, since it doesn't really make me feel any different/better to do so. It's just bizarre. The only way I can stop is to trim my nails exceedingly short, so I can't work them under my other nails.
Anyone else familiar with this kind of behavior? Why it happens? Would it be considered SI, or just self-stimulation? What meds might help?
Posted by justyourlaugh on February 6, 2003, at 12:26:37
In reply to Mild SI?, posted by Eddie Sylvano on February 6, 2003, at 12:16:02
hi edd,
this may sound silly,but put on some mittens.
you have to train your brain to do something else with your hands while watching t.v. or somthing.
replacing one habit with another-how about taking up smoking-ha ha
jyl
Posted by Tabitha on February 6, 2003, at 13:42:38
In reply to Mild SI?, posted by Eddie Sylvano on February 6, 2003, at 12:16:02
I do that too, so did my mom. Mainly the right thumb but sometimes all the fingers expect ring & pinky. My fingers are a mess, sometimes they bleed. nervous habit, ugly.
I swear you're a 20ish male version of me.
Posted by tina on February 6, 2003, at 14:09:57
In reply to Re: Mild SI?, posted by Tabitha on February 6, 2003, at 13:42:38
I do it too but I've never considered it SI. I just figure it's a habit that I should get over but it's not as bad a habit as I could have. I think it's maybe a mild compulsion but I wouldn't say it's self-injury.
Oh, and I don't really think you need a medication for it. The mitten idea sounds good or rub your hands with hand cream alot and you won't have any of that rough, pickable skin to further your habit.
Posted by shar on February 6, 2003, at 22:57:25
In reply to Re: Mild SI? » Eddie Sylvano, posted by justyourlaugh on February 6, 2003, at 12:26:37
oooh, interesting. This is off topic.
I use SI to mean suicidal ideation, and I realize (duh, now) that some people use it for self-injury (if I read the first post correctly).
Now, that's interesting to me because when I saw "mild SI" I thought "well, isn't all SI serious?" because I was thinking suicidal ideation.
It is so easy to miscommunicate in writing. From now on, I'll be more specific when I mean suicidal ideation, so folks don't think I mean self-injury.
BTW, the nail picking sounds like a habit, and habit's can be very strong. If you aren't bleeding, or needing medical care from it, my guess is it isn't self-injury. But I could be SO wrong about that!
Shar
Posted by justyourlaugh on February 6, 2003, at 23:06:51
In reply to Re: Mild SI? or SI?........off topic some, posted by shar on February 6, 2003, at 22:57:25
hi shar,
thanks for your thoughts.
dont want to say but compelled.
hit my face with a hammer..a few times
no blood ,yet si
anyone like the pain of a bruise?
oh god im sorry.
been clean for awhile though.
jyl
Posted by dreamerz on February 6, 2003, at 23:24:12
In reply to Trigger-shar » shar, posted by justyourlaugh on February 6, 2003, at 23:06:51
> dont want to say but compelled.
> hit my face with a hammer..a few times
> no blood ,yet si
> anyone like the pain of a bruise?
> oh god im sorry.
> been clean for awhile though.It's ok to say it jyl..I sometimes (not so often now )get images to cut my face--don't really get that far--usually I cut my hair instead
Posted by Eddie Sylvano on February 7, 2003, at 9:22:42
In reply to Re: Mild SI?---Eddie, posted by tina on February 6, 2003, at 14:09:57
Thanks for the feedback, all. I'm reassured that though my thumbs may look mottled (ugh. especially when wet), I'm not borderline. I'm also reassured that I'm not the only one who does such useless things. This may kill my dream of being a hand model, but I can live with that.
Mittens seem like a practical solution, just as long as I don't have friends over ("What's with the mittens?"). Maybe it'd be more manly to try boxing gloves.
Posted by tina on February 7, 2003, at 9:35:49
In reply to Re: Mild SI?---Eddie, posted by Eddie Sylvano on February 7, 2003, at 9:22:42
good luck taking a pee in boxing gloves dude!
hehe ;^)
Posted by Eddie Sylvano on February 7, 2003, at 10:01:57
In reply to Re: Mild SI?---Eddie., posted by tina on February 7, 2003, at 9:35:49
> good luck taking a pee in boxing gloves dude!
> hehe ;^)Hey, if you're a guy, all you really have to do is get you pants down and position yourself correctly.
Now wiping on the other hand, that would be hard.
Posted by NikkiT2 on February 7, 2003, at 10:21:21
In reply to Mild SI?, posted by Eddie Sylvano on February 6, 2003, at 12:16:02
I was sitting here looking at the skin around my thumb nails seconds before I clicked on this post!! How strange!!
No idea how to stop ot as I've done it all my life. But I always moisterise them well every night for some strange reason thinking this will help prevent the hard skin developing!!!
Nikki x
Posted by tina on February 7, 2003, at 10:27:08
In reply to Re: Mild SI?---Eddie. » tina, posted by Eddie Sylvano on February 7, 2003, at 10:01:57
I guess I was talking about the "getting the pants down" part but you seem pretty confident.......hehe
the wiping never occured to me actually. You have a much more practical sensibility than I....
Posted by shar on February 7, 2003, at 12:32:39
In reply to Trigger-shar » shar, posted by justyourlaugh on February 6, 2003, at 23:06:51
Well, you've proven I was SO wrong about what I said. I'm glad I put in the disclaimer.
Hope you get better.
Shar
> hi shar,
> thanks for your thoughts.
> dont want to say but compelled.
> hit my face with a hammer..a few times
> no blood ,yet si
> anyone like the pain of a bruise?
> oh god im sorry.
> been clean for awhile though.
> jyl
Posted by judy1 on February 7, 2003, at 13:02:02
In reply to Mild SI?, posted by Eddie Sylvano on February 6, 2003, at 12:16:02
As someone who engages in SI (usually cutting that sometimes require stitches), I guess I would consider your behavior a bad habit. I've read that people who stop habits need to replace it with something- maybe healthy like exercising when you feel the compulsion?. Wearing gloves (even cotton) can make you stop for a moment before you try to do it. I wish I could find the article, but I DO remember the success rate was very high with nervous type habits. best of luck-judy
Posted by judy1 on February 7, 2003, at 13:04:29
In reply to Re: Mild SI? or SI?........off topic some, posted by shar on February 6, 2003, at 22:57:25
thanks for recognizing that Shar, I think we're all guilty of usuing SI for both. Usually after reading a sentence it's pretty obvious what the poster is referring to, but I promise to try too. take care, judy
Posted by Eddie Sylvano on February 7, 2003, at 14:30:12
In reply to Re: Mild SI? or SI?........off topic some » shar, posted by judy1 on February 7, 2003, at 13:04:29
> thanks for recognizing that Shar, I think we're all guilty of usuing SI for both. Usually after reading a sentence it's pretty obvious what the poster is referring to, but I promise to try too.
------------------Is there a difference between suicidal ideation and "being suicidal"?
Posted by noa on February 8, 2003, at 11:34:54
In reply to Re: Mild SI? » Eddie Sylvano, posted by judy1 on February 7, 2003, at 13:02:02
I do something in the same "family" which doesn't feel like "SI" to me, but I also wouldn't describe it as a "bad habit", either.
For me it is not picking the skin around my nails, but I pick at my scalp and at my face. To me it feels neurological, kind of what I imagine trichotillomania feels like. I think mine is worse on meds. I can supress it somewhat, but only for a short time. Keeping my skin in good shape certainly helps me supress the urge, (it is much worse when I have breakouts), but my ability to supress varies a lot, and it is supression, not elimination, meaning it has to come out at some point. I have tried keeping my hands really busy (keyboarding, as I am right at this moment is a good example) and that helps somewhat. In the past few days, I've been thinking of taking up some kind of needlework project. My only real ability in needlework (and that I have patience enough to complete) is crocheting small projects. I have been noticing nice crocheted purses, hats, baby hats, and booties, in stores lately, and have said to myself, "I could make that", so I may just take a trip the yarn store and pick up a project. Maybe that will allow my scalp to clear up enough that I can go for my very overdue haircut (I hate going if there are any marks on my scalp--embarrassing).
Posted by judy1 on February 8, 2003, at 18:20:16
In reply to Re: Mild SI? or SI?........off topic some » judy1, posted by Eddie Sylvano on February 7, 2003, at 14:30:12
I think so... ideation is thinking continuously about it, being to me sounds more active- like if you have the means you'll do it. Suicidal ideation is pretty common in people who are seriously depressed, but many people who have SI (ideation) have never actually made an attempt. does that make sense?- judy
Posted by judy1 on February 8, 2003, at 18:25:49
In reply to Re: Mild SI? Habit? How bout Trich-like?, posted by noa on February 8, 2003, at 11:34:54
I probably didn't capture the seriousness by using the term 'bad habit', but I wanted to somehow distinguish the ability to replace the behavior (I love the idea of you crocheting booties), versus a dissociative state that precedes or follows self-injury (although trichotillomania is considered a type of self-injury, I believe). maybe there is a spectrum like a lot of other disorders. take care, judy
Posted by Eddie Sylvano on February 10, 2003, at 14:05:54
In reply to Re: Mild SI? Habit? How bout Trich-like? » noa, posted by judy1 on February 8, 2003, at 18:25:49
I had what felt like a 3 day panic attack over the weekend, and the thumb suffered badly. It's now bleeding slightly, and painful, so at least that's stopped my assault on it. I also had a dream about it in which I was doing my business, absently pulling off strands of it, when I realized that the strands were from the muscle fiber of my thumb, and I had removed everything but the bone on the last joint of it. I hastily covered it up with band-aids, stuffed the muscle threads back in, and hoped it would grow back (and that no one would see it). Gah.
Went to the dr this morning and she prescribed some Celexa for anxiety (the HMO doesn't approve of Lexapro for some reason). We'll see.
Posted by Dinah on February 12, 2003, at 22:45:38
In reply to crazy weekend, posted by Eddie Sylvano on February 10, 2003, at 14:05:54
Ouch ouch ouch.
Gotta get those mittens, Eddie.
I was a lot luckier. My nervous habit was biting off my split ends. Disgusting to see but harmless. I cured myself by wearing my hair in a ponytail. And got the added advantage of being able to express my moods by twitching my ponytail.
Self injury is (I think) different because it involves the build up and release of tension. You know when you're doing it (unless of course you're dissociative). Not that you aren't injuring yourself, of course.
But trich..., oh darn I can't spell it, but anyway isn't it considered a variant on obsessive compulsive disorder? Perhaps your problem is the same as that? In which case an SSRI should nip it in the bud (from my experience with OCD anyway). If not you should get thee to a behavioral therapist. This is their stock in trade.
Good luck.
Dinah
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