HRT anyone?

[e]

hi, has anyone tried the non-med therapies like Habit Reversal Training or Exposure & Response Prevention?

i finally got Penzel's book on OCD and it's wonderfully helpful. since i'm not a fan of meds, i'm going to give self-help a try. there's so much enlightening information in the book, i feel hopeful about recovery for the first time in years. just wondering if anyone has had success with the methods.

[Carree]

I have not tried these methods but I also just bought his book. I have not had a chance to really read much yet but I definitely plan on picking it up whenever I have a spare minute. Let me know if you find any other info that you feel is worth sharing....thanks

Carree

[e]

great! i'm glad someone else is reading it too. let me know what you think about it.

[Jean]

Ten months ago I tried Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with a woman who specializes in OCD, specifically skin picking. I've never been so scared in my life. I couldn't even say the word "picking" out loud, I was so ashamed.
Within the first three months I had reduced my picking by about 70%. I have tapered off my appointments from once a week to every few months. Today I am not completely pick-free, but I only have one or two small scabs instead of 40 or 50 big ones.
I HIGHLY recommend this kind of therapy. Another thing to consider, I was taking Celexa for a year prior and it had some effect but not much. I think it's the combination of the CBT and the med that's making this possible, but go ahead and try the behavioral therapy alone.
Also, there is something called "Inositol" that you can get at any health store. It's a vitamin supplement that also helps. If you read the content labels carefully, you can find it in any of the mega-one-a-day-vitamins. 18 mg is the suggested dosage.
Every day feels like a miracle now. I owe my life to this therapist.
Good luck,
Jean

[Lucy]

Hey here is some info I found on inositol. It's about the scientific research with it. It seems to work well!!

Inositol is a simple polyol precursor in a second messenger system important in the brain. Cerebrospinal fluid inositol has been reported as decreased in depression. A double-blind controlled trial of 12 g daily of inositol in 28 depressed patients for four weeks was performed. Significant overall benefit for inositol compared to placebo was found at week 4 on the Hamilton Depression Scale. No changes were noted in hematology, kidney or liver function. Since many antidepressants are effective in panic disorder, twenty-one patients with panic disorder with or without agoraphobia completed a double-blind, placebo-controlled, four week, random-assignment crossover treatment trial of inositol 12 g per day. Frequency and severity of panic attacks and severity of agoraphobia declined significantly with inositol compared to placebo. Side-effects were minimal. Since serotonin re-uptake inhibitors benefit obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and inositol is reported to reverse desensitization of serotonin receptors, thirteen patients with OCD completed a double-blind controlled crossover trial of 18 g inositol or placebo for six weeks each. Inositol significantly reduced scores of OCD symptoms compared with placebo.

[kfed228]

I have not read Dr. Frederick Penzel's books yet, but I read one of his articles on skin picking and nail biting on the Internet. The posting had an e-mail link, so I decided to write him to see if he could help me find a therapist in my area. He wrote back the next day! He suggested that I contact TLC (Trichillomania Learning Center) for a list of recommended therapists who are experienced in Habit Reversal Training and Cognitive Behavior Therapy, which I did, and now I am seeing a psychologist in a nearby town.

I have just begun my journey to recovery, so I'll have to get back to you later with progress reports. I just wanted to tell my Dr. Penzel story. What a compassionate and conscientious man! ;D

[cookie]

I need to find a good therapist tha works with compulsive skin picking. Anyone know one in the New York City area? Or How I can find one?

[anonirresp]

ok i'm having trouble loging in...

cookie, i'm in the nyc area, and i went to belleview hospital part of nyu, i went with my gig sore on my face to the derm,,, and they set me up with a psychiatrist tht is specialized...

there have to be many many in nyc area.

i only met him once....but i'm sure he's great, but really i think its how open we are to the suggesrtions....

[anonirresp]

shoot, i didn't mean to press the post button yet..

i don't have the book, i have much info...

but can someone please list very briefly a summary of the ideas...behind their particular therapy

i am most interested in Jean's experience and the book's advice...especially Jean since i am about to embark another attempt at therapy but time and money limitations.

here is sort of and example and some of the stuff i can remember:

-rubberband on wrist-snap out of it
-index card snap out of it
-individual to me: study only 2-3 hrs go out..2-3 hrs go out cause i pick my back when i study
-keep eye on goal
-look at pimple and resist,,,,practice several times a day

thats all i can remember from actual therapy
of course i have read a lot from the internet, just some good stuff

-don't talk about it
-think of what missing
-21 days of changing habit w something else-better
-ocd is chronic,,expect setbacks
-beh ther necessary in add to meds
-beh ther to make you manage your prob eventually alone
-don't depend on anyone else..up to u (well actually i guess this is after the beh ther)
-don't look so close
-snap out of it
-dr phil: some get it some don't
u will be stepping stone for others
IMAGINE the situation

[Lorelei]

Hi. I'm new to this board, but not to the face picking battle.

I am very keen on Habit Reversal Training, and have been having significant success with it. I am currently 37 days (mostly) pick-free, for the first time in about 25 years of struggling with this scourge. I cannot believe how much my skin has cleared.

I have been using a smorgasboard of resources. Of books, the two most helpful ones have been : Brain Lock - Free Yourself from Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior, by Jeffrey M. Schwartz, M.D., and The Habit Change Workbook - How to Break Bad Habits and Form Good Ones, by James Claiborn, PhD, and Cherry Pedrick, R.N.

The author of the BrainLock book is a physician at UCLA whose work has proven scientifically that OCD is a biochemical imbalance in the brain which can be treated successfully with self-directed behavioral therapy alone.

The Habit Change Workbook is a rich resource for Habit Reversal techniques, which specifically addresses face-picking, among other nervous habits and compulsive behaviors.

It has taken me years to become willing to do this work. I tried Zoloft, hoping it would be a magic pill and take care of my problem for me (to no avail), and I considered taking Accutane, with the idea that if I could annihilate the acne, the problem would disappear (another magic pill fantasy). Finally though, I have come to realize that if I want to be free of this behavior, I have to change it. Simple to say, hard to do. BUT POSSIBLE!!!!!

Also, I am lucky enough to have a friend who is a practicing member of Overeaters Anonymous, and who agreed to act as my sponsor in my fight to overcome my own compulsive face-picking behavior. I check in with her every day, and commit myself to a reasonable list of daily tasks and practices which keep me focused on my Habit Reversal Program. I doubt I could have gotten too far on my own without this regular support.

[downtimeheals]

Definitely check out stoppicking.com...it costs $30/month, but looks VERY well set-up. Even just browsing the site and doing the "tour", I learned some useful tips!