This morning my mother noted a couple of new sores ony face and made the observation that meth addicts have those sorts of things. She as good as said I looked like a meth addict in a way, despite the fact that I don't use any sort of illegal substance, let alone meth.

It's now that I've come to the conclusion that I have some for of dermotillomania. The compulsion I have is to pick at existing scabs and sores on my face, neck, cuticles and generally anywhere a sore or blemish crops up. I do so till there is either no more scab material to pick, or I have extracted all the fluid I can from a blemish or pimple (which I feel the overwhelming need to consume). It gets so bad that blood runs down from the sore, and scarring is left at times, sometimes heavily. I even feel excrutiating pain, but keep at it because the compulsion is so bad. Sometimes I even find myself picking at my face as I wake up in the morning, and I have left several bloodstains on my bedsheets.

It's affecting my self confidence and caused me to feel very embarrassed and to be even more reclusive than I already am. I am officially ready to declare that I need help and that I want to stop. Enough is enough.

How do I go about combating this compulsive behavior? Is it even curable, or will I have to struggle with this all my life? I just know I need help and feel ready to accept it.