Trichotillomania, Compulsive Skin Picking, and the Resistor’s High

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Jon Hershfield, MA, of the OCD Center of Los Angeles discusses Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for the treatment of Trichotillomania (compulsive hair pulling) and Dermatillomania (compulsive skin picking, or CSP).

My wife and I recently became vegetarians.  Well, she started using the word “vegetarian” to describe already never eating meat.  For me it required more of a lifestyle change.  I grew up on a small beef cattle farm, so I was used to the idea that you could grow meat the same way you grow vegetables.  Throughout my life it always felt as if meat was how one defined the difference between a “snack” and a “meal”.  So as part health experiment and part social consciousness attempt, I have given up meat for the time being.

At first I felt like I was denying myself something purely enjoyable.  I’m used to it, I like it, so why don’t I just do it?  Saying, “I want to change” or “I’m not happy with the consequences” doesn’t seem to be much comfort.  However, nearly 4 months into this experiment, I now get what can only be described as a “resistor’s high” – an addictive satisfaction derived from choosing not to eat meat. › Continue reading

Tags: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Compulsive Skin Picking, Dermatillomania, Hair Pulling, Health, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Skin Picking, Trichotillomania

Memory Hoarding in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

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I was surprised to discover that Webster’s dictionary defines “hoard” as a kind of temporary fence put up around a structure being built, presumably with the intention of protecting it in a fragile state.  Dictionary.com had a more familiar definition: “to accumulate for preservation, future use, etc., in a hidden or carefully guarded place.”  Both definitions refer to the behavior of creating certainty around an uncertain state.

Squirrels hoard acorns to make sure they don’t starve during the winter.  Armies hoard weapons to ensure they never run out.  And some people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) hoard objects of uncertain value, usually with the belief that the object’s value may be revealed at an important point in the future. › Continue reading

Tags: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Compulsions, Health, Hoarding, Memory, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Obsessions, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)