What Are Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors?: Signs, Symptoms and Treatment for BFRP in Miami and Online

What are Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRB)?

Body-focused repetitive behavior (BFRB) is a term for a group of related disorders.

BFRB includes hair pulling, skin picking, and nail-biting. These behaviors are not simply habits or tics. They are complex disorders that cause people to repeatedly touch their hair and body in ways that lead to real physical damage.

Common BFRB are:

  • Hair-Pulling Disorder: Trichotillomania

  • Skin Picking Disorder: Excoriation

  • Nail Biting Disorder

What Are The Symptoms Of Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors?

  • Picking at or otherwise manipulating a body part, sometimes resulting in damage

  • Repeatedly trying to reduce or stop the activity

  • Feeling greatly distressed or being less able to function because of the activity

Symptoms of Trichotillomania:

  • Recurrent pulling out of one’s hair, resulting in hair loss.

  • Repeated attempts to decrease or stop hair pulling.

  • The hair pulling causes clinically significant distress or impairment in

    social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

  • The hair pulling or hair loss is not attributable to another medical

    condition (e.g., a dermatological condition).

  • The hair pulling is not better explained by the symptoms of another

    mental disorder (e.g., attempts to improve a perceived defect or flaw in appearance in body dysmorphic disorder).

Symptoms of Skin Picking Disorder (Excoriation):

  • Recurrent picking at the skin resulting in skin lesions.

  • Individuals must have made repeated attempts to decrease or stop the

    excoriation.

  • The skin picking causes clinically significant distress or impairment in

    social, occupation, or other important areas of functioning.

  • The skin picking is not attributable to the psychological effects of a substance (e.g., cocaine) or another medical condition (e.g., scabies

  • The skin picking is not better explained by symptoms of another mental disorder (e.g., delusions or tactile hallucinations in a psychotic disorder, attempts to improve a perceived defect or flaw in appearance in body-dysmorphic disorder, stereotypes in stereotypic movement disorder, or intention to harm oneself in non-suicidal self-injury).

A physician or licensed mental health provider will meet with someone for a full evaluation and examine their symptoms to make a diagnosis.

How To Treat Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors

The recommended treatments for BFRBs are:

  • Psychotherapy

    • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

    • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

    • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

  • Habit Reversal Training

  • Comprehensive Behavioral Treatment

BFRB.org has a wonderful resource explaining the many treatment options for Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors.

Finding A Therapist, Psychologist or Counselor for Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors Online or In Miami, FL

It’s important to find a therapist who have experience with BFRBs and specializes in working with this population. At The Collaborative, we have therapists who are highly trained in CBT, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and DBT.

To be matched with a therapist who treats Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors, please complete the form below and we will match you with the right clinician for you.

Whitney Goodman