Anxiety Disorder

At last count over 18% of American’s suffer from an anxiety-related disorder such as obsessive compulsive disorder — together with the so-called OCD-spectrum disorders like body dysmorphic disorder and impulse control disorder. Quite frequently a compulsive finger picking habit is a symptom of these types of anxiety-related psychological disorders.

Extreme anxiety is characterized by an irrational or illogical worry not based on facts.

You might have a full-blown Anxiety Disorder if:

• You think everyone will notice the slight imperfections on your skin or fingers — which drives you to pick at them in an effort to “smooth” or “even them out”.
• Your compulsive skin picking habit creates real, unsightly skin damage. Your shame and guilt from picking causes you to avoid crowds of people — even to stay home for long periods — so as not to expose your embarrassing problem to the world.
• You go into a hypnotic trance when you pick and feel somehow disconnected from your body (De-realization). You use picking as a way to “check out” from your body and reduce stress.

Treatments for Anxiety Disorder

The standard treatments for Anxiety Disorder are the same as those for other disorders related to compulsive picking, including:

• Antidepressants and Antidepressant Drugs
• Cognitive Psychotherapy regimens such as Cognitive Therapy or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Behavioral therapy regimens such as Habit Reversal Training or Behavioral Modification Therapy