DSM-5 field survey: skin picking disorder

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Dermatology

Background:

• Skin picking disorder (SPD) is a prevalent and disabling condition.
• Increasing research highlights the need for standardized diagnostic criteria.
• The study investigates potential diagnostic criteria for inclusion in the DSM-5.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate proposed diagnostic criteria for skin picking disorder (SPD).
• To assess the validity of specific symptoms for SPD diagnosis.
• To inform the inclusion of SPD in the DSM-5.

Main Methods:

• Recruited patients over 10 years old with skin-picking symptoms.
• Utilized modules from the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM to assess proposed DSM-5 criteria.
• Included additional questions to evaluate other potential diagnostic criteria.

Main Results:

• Thirty-eight patients diagnosed with SPD were identified.
• All patients exhibited recurrent skin picking leading to lesions.
• Skin picking persisted despite attempts to reduce or cease the behavior.
• Urges or needs to pick were not universal but correlated with severity.
• Resistance to picking was not universally reported.

Conclusions:

• The findings support the proposed DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for SPD.
• Urges to pick or relief experienced during picking are not universal and should not be mandatory criteria.
• Repeated attempts to decrease or stop skin picking should be an included diagnostic criterion.