News

It is not uncommon for some children to take part in such nervous habits as pulling hair, biting nails and picking skin – but plucking hair to the point where there are bald spots or picking at skin until it bleeds can be signs of a disorder. In such cases, children might need treatment because they can’t control their actions.

Learn More

The Child Mind Institute has released a new series of resources on body-focused disorders – or what experts call body-focused repetitive behaviors. These can include trichotillomania (hair pulling) and excoriation (skin picking), which are related to obsessive compulsive disorder but don’t usually start until after puberty.

Children often take part in such habits as a way to cope with anxiety or negative emotions. Pulling their hair or picking their skin might give a temporary sense of relief, which is why they continue to do it.

Unlike other habits – such as cutting or self-injury – children who pick skin or pull hair are not deliberately trying to hurt themselves. 

Below are several articles from the Child Mind Institute on body-focused repetitive behaviors.

• What is Trichotillomania?
• What is Excoriation, or Skin Picking?
• Does My Baby Have Trichotillomania?
• Help for Cutting or Other Self-Injury
• Treatment for Hair Pulling, Skin Picking
• What is Body Dysmorphic Disorder?