body-focused repetitive behaviours

BFRB’s are the collective name for problematic picking, pulling or biting of skin, hair or nails. We all do these things a bit because these are normal primate grooming behaviours, but some people experience ongoing powerful urges that make it very difficult to stop. BFRBs are under-recognised, and underestimated in terms of the distress and functional impairment they can cause. Individuals can spend decades of their lives blighted by behaviours they cannot control, and for which there is little/no understanding or support available. As such, these are some of the most highly stigmatised of all mental health conditions. More research is needed to understand the mechanisms and develop interventions for BFRBs.

Our body-focused repetitive behaviours Blogs

The role of shame in hairpulling: understanding adolescents’ experiences

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Around 1% of adolescents have clinically diagnosable trichotillomania, but what role does shame play in how hairpulling connects to anxiety and depression? A recent study explores this largely overlooked question.

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Skin-picking as self-soothing: is emotion regulation the missing piece?

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A systematic review (of mostly cross sectional studies) explores whether difficulties regulating emotions play a role in skin picking disorder, and what this could mean for treatment.

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What lies beneath hair-pulling and skin-picking behaviours? The role of early maladaptive schemas

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Are hair-pulling and skin-picking disorders linked to deeper beliefs formed in childhood? This study found that early maladaptive schemas were common across trichotillomania, skin-picking and OCD, with stronger associations to focused (emotionally-driven) behaviours.

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Inside the urge: Interoception, affective touch, and the emerging science of skin-picking disorder

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A growing body of research suggests that disrupted interoception and affective touch might play a role in skin-picking disorder. This blog critically examines the first systematic review to map this emerging field.

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The inescapable role of stigma in driving depression and distress

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In her debut blog (and the Mental Elf’s first body-focused repetitive behaviours blog), Mallory Moore summarises a systematic review investigating whether internalised stigma can predict depression.

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