“You get good at becoming secretive, at hiding it.” Shame and loneliness: the mental health impacts of skin picking disorder

This study draws attention to the complex nature of both SPD and loneliness. It highlights how those living with the disorder are reluctant to seek help, resulting in low rates of treatment access and distrust in health providers.As SPD is little understood, it can be erroneously deemed a “choice”; seldom discussed as a condition, it can lead to exclusion and withdrawal. The sense of shame of both appearance and behaviour interplays with and compounds the shame of loneliness and can force the individual into a further cycle of withdrawal and isolation.While research suggests SPD should be acknowledged as a public health issue, research and literature is still relatively limited, and there are no qualitative phenomenological studies as yet that report on the lived experience of SPD.

Source: Mental Health and Social Inclusion - November 21, 2023 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Marta Isibor Olivia Sagan Source Type: research