Dermatillomania

Dermatillomania, also known as chronic skin picking, is a mental illness related to obsessive-compulsive disorder. I've hidden it, or thought I was hiding it most of my life. It got so bad during lockdown, and that's when I finally decided to document some of the picking, the resulting scars, and late nights in bed (when the anxiety would worsen). The photos alternate between skin-picking and restless anxiety-filled moments lying in my unmade bed and messy room. The state of the bed, room, and my skin was/is a direct reflection of my inner world that worsened during lockdown. Skin pickers live in shame and come up with creative ways to hide what we've done to our bodies, or so we think. I sometimes wonder now how well I was actually hiding it and how much was the politeness of others not commenting. Only now have I finally gotten the courage to expose myself and talk about this, so that others might feel comfortable coming forward, as well.