[thunderbear]

For years I have had an urge to pick my lip. One spot on my bottom lip. It all started 9 years ago when my brother and I were wrestling (we used to do that all the time) and I hit my mouth on the arm of a chair and busted it. Well since that day I have picked and picked that spot. When I first started it was to get the ugly scab off. But then after a while it turned into something I did when I would get nervous or when I would have a panic attack. Now I constantly do it. I can't stop until I get all of the skin off of that spot. I have tried trimming my nails to stop or using chap stick. Even wearing long lasting lipstick so I know if I pick at it, it will mess up my lipstick. But nothing has helped. Now I have an ugly place on my lip (it looks like someone popped me in the mouth) and it is always sore. If I eat somethign salty my lip feels like it is burned. Nothing covers it. Not lipsticks, that makes it look worse. Or lip glosses nothing. And it hurts like hell but I just can't stop picking it. Even when it bleeds. The other parts of my lips look fine. It's just that one little spot. It's the only spot I pick at. I want to stop because my lip is ugly and I know there will be a permenant scar there.

[mschu528]

By definition this absolutely seems like a compulsive behavior. Obsessive-compulsive usually means that not only does this compulsive (constant and without ability to control) behavior exist, but you are constantly (or nearly constantly) thinking about it (obsession). There is also a condition called "compulsive-only OCD" though. I'd definitely bring this up with a therapist or psychiatrist, since it apparently is severe enough to cause stress.

[mum2four]

I have a compulsive scratching behaviour that was result of skin alergies and became a 7 year habbit I tryed counting to 10 over and over my partner had to hold my hands so I could fall asleep I'd wake up lots at night to find I made my self bleed cause I was scratching in my sleep, that was helped by medication in 3 days I had practicly stopped with in 3 weeks my skin had almost healed and he had been red sore and trying to heal for the 7 years. But what your talking about it more of anxious behaviour my son lick his lips all the time my sister bites her finger nails all the time but the problem dose not get worse. I thought a Dr would think I was crazy if I told him I could not stop scratching my self. The first thing he did was put me on a OCD/anti D medication. What you discribe just sounds like a small behaviour but it never hurt to talk to a Dr thay may beable to sujest something for me, once the main obsession was controlled my scratching behaviour by distracting my hands making the busy with some thing and my partner still catches me scratching my head or some where and tells me to stop but I can now stop some time it takes more effort than other time to stop but I dont feel like I'm out of control like before. I know now that if I let my head obsess I'm more lilkly to scratch. I still make my self bleed but no where near as bad like before. I still scratch in my sleep when my anxiety is bad but it cant be controlled by itchy cream or an ice pack on really bad nights. I some time have to sleep with a ice pack even in winter thats the most frustrating lol.