Stimulant induced skin picking can be controlled effectively at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center

Stimulant induced skin picking: Cocaine abuse

Stimulant induced skin picking due to excessive and abuse of crack cocaine has become more common as more people use crack disorderly. This has necessitated the sudden increase in negative health issues linked to this habit. Professionally in the medical understanding stimulant induced skin picking is seen as a compulsive foraging response (CICF – ‘cocaine induced compulsive foraging’) but the compulsion to skin pick has also been called psychogenic excoriation, delusional parasitosis, self-inflicted dermatoses, dermatillomania, formication, or hypoesthesia; which is quite surprising considering that there has been so little research on the subject.

Stimulant induced skin picking: Characteristics of skin picking

The features of skin picking may include excessive scratching, picking, gouging, lancing, digging and squeezing of normal or slightly marred skin. Even though the whole body can be involved, commonly the most picked areas include; fingernails, face, lips, scalp, arms and legs. This is made possible because drugs like cocaine, methylephenidate, phenelzine amphetamine and anticholinergic drugs often produce increased nerve activity tactile sensations like burning, tingling and crawling (worms under the skin) that can lead to skin picking. So while it is clearly a chemical reaction to the drugs you’re taking, it can be closely linked with psychological issues such as extreme anxiety or childhood trauma.

Stimulant induced skin picking: So why do some people skin pick excessively, where others don’t?

Studies suggest that it’s a coping mechanism for dealing with emotional pain. Physical pain distracts the individual and can help to alleviate feelings of guilt through self-punishment. Many S-P’s (skin pickers) report increased levels of tension prior to skin picking and a sense of relief or satisfaction following the picking. Some experience an altered state of consciousness whilst picking resembling a dissocialized state. However, lack of pain during picking episodes may also be related to opioid dysregulation. We can see elevated levels of B-endorphin in S-Ps, because pain, in this case through self-injurious behavior, leads to the release of B-endorphins, which in turn leads to the release of tension.

Stimulant induced skin picking: Crack cocaine

Doctor Dalal Akoury who is also the founder of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center registers that cocaine increases the activity of dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the automatic nervous system associated with pleasure which is important for reinforcement of behavior. However, for reasons we don’t have the space to go into, too much use of cocaine can lead to a lack of dopamine in your system, which in turn leads to mood and anxiety disorders. S-Ps often suffers from one or more of the following conditions:

• Agoraphobia
• Bipolar disorder (manic depression)
• Body dysmorphic disorder (hated self-image).
• Dysthymia (depression tendencies)
• Eating disorders
• Kleptomania (compulsive stealing of objects) and
• Major depression
• Obsessive compulsive disorder
• Panic attacks
• Post-traumatic stress
• Trichotillomania (hair /eyelash/body hair pulling)

Beside the mention conditions, some studies have also established that more than half of the individuals with serious skin picking conditions also reported a history of body rocking, thumb sucking, knuckle cracking, cheek chewing and head banging. Along-side with all these, skin picking also causes a lot of anguish. Like for instance, the victim can feel embarrassed and this may lead to shame and even impaired social functioning and in some cases people withdraw altogether from social activities and confine themselves to their home. Some people also experience medical complications as a result of skin picking, like ulcers, infections, permanent discoloration and scarring. Remember that too much scratching leads to open wounds and sores and when this is combined with injecting, infection can travel from the skin to the blood, causing serious illnesses such as septicemia or endocarditis. And that should be an incentive for you to schedule for an appointment with doctor Akoury for a more professional medical approach.

Stimulant induced skin picking: Cocaine abuse