This is why psychiatrists need both a psychology degree and a
medical degree. In physical incarnation, the mind and body are
inextricably connected : many physical disorders cause
mental-emotional disorders, and vice-versa.
There has been controversy over the creation of a separate
category in the DSM-5 (fifth Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of
Mental Disorders) for excoriation (skin picking) disorder. Two of
the main reasons for objecting to the inclusion of excoriation
disorder in the DSM-5 are: (1) that excoriation disorder may just
be a symptom of a different underlying disorder, e.g. OCD or BDD,
and (2) that excoriation disorder is merely a bad habit and that by
allowing this disorder to obtain its own separate category it would
force the DSM to include a wide array of other unhealthy habits as
separate syndromes, e.g., nail biting and nose-picking.
Stein has argued that excoriation disorder does qualify as a
separate syndrome and should be classified as its own category
because: (1) excoriation disorder occurs as the primary disorder
and not as a subset of a larger disorder; (2) excoriation disorder
has well-defined clinical features; (3) there is gathering data on
the clinical features and diagnostic criteria for this condition;
(4) there is sufficient data to create this as a separate category
for excoriation disorder; (5) the incidence rate for excoriation
disorder is high within the population; (6) diagnostic criteria for
the disease have already been proposed; (7) the classification of
excoriation disorder as a separate condition would lead to better
studies and better treatment outcomes; and (8) classification as a
separate condition would lead to more awareness of the disorder and
encourage more people to obtain treatment.
Because excoriation disorder is different from other conditions
and disorders that cause picking of the skin, it is important that
any diagnosis of excoriation disorder take into account various
other medical conditions as possible causes before diagnosing the
patient with excoriation disorder.
There are a variety of medical conditions that cause itching and
skin picking including : eczema, psoriasis, diabetes, liver
disease, Hodgkin's disease, polycythemia vera, systemic lupus, and
Prader-Willi syndrome.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excoriation_disorder#Similarities_with_other_conditions
“Nobody really knows what causes it, but every species with some
kind of hair or soft covering seems to have a version of this
disorder,” said A&M Texas University psychology department head
Doug Woods, speaking about picking at skin. “Dogs lick themselves
in a particular area until they open a bald spot. Cats and
chimpanzees take the fur off themselves. Mice do barbering. Birds
pull out their feathers.”
https://healingfeet.com/foot-care/pick-calluses-may-be-excoriation-disorder
