Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors
Do you tell yourself to stop picking your skin, biting your nails, or pulling your hair, and find yourself doing it yet again? Does it cause damage or hair loss? And do you feel a sense of frustration and shame as a result? As many as 1 in 20 people have a Body-Focused Repetitive Behavior (BFRB), such as Trichotillomania (Hair-Pulling) Disorder or Excoriation (Skin-Picking) Disorder.
At PAC, BFRBs in children, adolescents, and adults are treated with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), specifically the Comprehensive Behavioral (ComB) model. Generally there are multiple environmental and internal triggers of picking and pulling. Additionally, picking and pulling are often experienced as soothing in the moment, even though frustration and shame may quickly follow. The ComB model helps reveal the triggers and reinforcing nature of picking and pulling unique to each individual across several domains (e.g., sensory, cognitive, affective, motor, and environmental). Based on these insights, interventions are then tailored to better manage the BFRB and reduce its impact. Additionally, therapy at PAC for BFRBs aims to reduce shame and incorporate Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help an individual live life on their terms with or without urges to pick or pull.
Read more about BFRBs at: