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Treatment of an Adult with Excoriation (Skin-Picking) Disorder

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Clinical Handbook of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders

Abstract

Pathological skin picking, known as excoriation (skin-picking) disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), is a chronic and disabling obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorder characterized by repeated picking of the skin resulting in tissue damage. This chapter describes the successful treatment of a 33-year-old woman with moderate-to-severe excoriation disorder. Treatment comprised two assessment sessions followed by nine sessions of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Specific interventions included psychoeducation, self-monitoring and awareness training, stimulus control, competing response training, contingency management, cognitive restructuring, and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Lauren S. Hallion & Jennifer M. Park

  2. OCD and Related Disorders Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, 185 Cambridge St. Suite 2200, 02114, Boston, MA, USA

    Nancy J. Keuthen PhD

Authors
  1. Lauren S. Hallion
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  2. Jennifer M. Park
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  3. Nancy J. Keuthen PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nancy J. Keuthen PhD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Health Policy & Management, Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences, and Psychology, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

    Eric A. Storch

  2. Departments of Pediatrics, Psychiatry and Psychology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA

    Adam B. Lewin

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© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Hallion, L., Park, J., Keuthen, N. (2016). Treatment of an Adult with Excoriation (Skin-Picking) Disorder. In: Storch, E., Lewin, A. (eds) Clinical Handbook of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17139-5_19

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