BFRB Awareness Week
Body-Focused Repetitive Behavior (BFRB) is a general term for a group of related disorders that includes hair pulling, skin picking, and nail-biting, affected at least 5% of the population. These behaviors are not habits or tics; rather, they are complex disorders that cause people to repeatedly touch their hair and body in ways that result in physical damage.
Information provided by the TLC Foundation for Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors. Please visit their website for a more in-depth understanding of BFRBs and resources of support.
BFRB Awareness Week takes place each year from 10/1 – 10/7.
Morgan’s Story
Content warning: This guest blog has mentions of self-harm and overdose and implied mention of suicide.
I started scratching (my preferred term) as early as first grade. My parents didn’t know how to cope with my scratching, therefore they yelled, screamed, pleaded, punished, took things away, begged and more for me to stop.
My scratching had good days and bad days.
Fast forward…
Seventh / eighth grade year, I started to see a psychologist. After some time, she then asked if the next session could be on CBT. CBT stands for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I said we could try it; of course, at that time I wasn’t 100% on board. I did some research and found that my scratching had a name. The name that matched all my symptoms was Dermatillomania.
Then freshman year of highschool started. I was in Honors Algebra I and Honors English I. Along with being in marching band, it felt like I could never get a break. I felt like I was always at school because of marching band (ranked second best in the state). The workload just overpowered me. Then the worst thing could possibly happen: I got called in to the guidance counselors office. There were a bunch of people I didn’t know; they asked about my scratching. At that point I just broke. I cried in front of a lot of administrators. It was a complete disaster.
From there, it was all downhill. I felt alone and isolated. They had no support groups, no one would understand fully, I have been bullied all these years. I felt like if I died, it would be better for me but not better for the people around me. It also wouldn’t solve anything either. So then I pleaded to go to the mental hospital to get help for Dermatillomania. Nobody would listen! So I felt I had no choice but to self-harm. I still regret it to this day.
I spent a week in the mental hospital because of my self-harm, not to get help for dermatillomania. They also think I overdosed on my meds, which was really not helpful but in other ways was helpful.
For the next two years, I was skittish, vulnerable, and closed everyone out. I had some friends, but I didn’t go out, I didn’t go to church and became a hermit.
Present day…
I am currently taking medication. I have a social life, and I am currently trying to give back and raise awareness for Dermatillomania to prevent this from happening to other young people.
Copyrights to the Canadian BFRB Support Network & Laura Barton
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About the Author
Morgan Hebert – Brave Ambassador, Freshman at Fletcher Technical Community College
My pieces of work have inspired people to come out about their hair pulling or skin picking. People everyday struggle with the guilt, shame, and regret of something. In the BFRB community, it is not as simple as just stop. In fact, it can actually make the people who suffer with BFRB worse than the damage that they did to themselves. Instead, just be there for them, sit in the unknown with them, and listen to them. I didn’t become this accepting right away, and I am still struggling with my own BFRB. I hope you will help me smash stigma after reading my personal story.
You can follow Morgan on instagram @hope.for.bfrbs
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