I did this for most of my life. I never discussed it with any doctors, and never took any meds for it. I am finally happy and very content in my life, and I hardly ever do it anymore. I wish you a lot of luck!

i just met someone who seems to be doing this as well. he rapidly and deeply scratches the side of his hand until the skin breaks apart. apparently, he does it in his sleep as well--sometimes waking up with it bleeding. when he's scratching it, he is so fixated and miserable- I don't know how to react...there doesn't seem to be anything to soothe it. is this what you're describing?

-he doesn't have health insurance, and i want to help him find help in the most inexpensive way possible-- if this is what you experienced, would you recommend a medical doctor or a psychiatrist to get a prescription?
-- i'm not familiar with seroquil-- is it more of a mind-drug or a sensation-drug?
thanks for your help.

I just put up a new post, kind of about this, but it is very much what i am struggling with now. I think its also called dermatillomania. I pick at my scalp for at least a few hours a day and eat the i pick off, to the point that it bleeds. I dont know what to do about it, and its starting to affect other areas of my life. It is nice to know i am not the only one.

I've had SISP sense I was about 12, and there doesn't seem to be a specific way to treat it. I'm doing it less now, because of therapy, but I can't seem to stop.

I do this, but i don't like to consider it a problem or something i have that needs to be treated. Instead, im just focusing on healing myself, im in a very body/bhuddist centered therapy right now working on healing myself and working a lot with what happened in my childhood. ive discovered that my skin picking was my body trying to tell me that there was something that i needed and that i wasn't getting and that i needed to heal myself and heal my mental/emotional wounds. our bodies and minds are so interconnected and i started skin picking at a early age to relieve stress, etc. anyway, i don't want to take any pills for this because i know why i skin pick and i know that ultimately, i can stop it through deep healing work and building a compassionate relationship with myself. and, since a year of therapy, my skin picking has decreased substantially to the point where its no longer debilitating. anyway, hope this helps- you will heal.