What disorder is this?

[Nubclear]

I intentionally dry and pick my lips, and then suck on my own blood. After which, I then bite on my lips (not trying to let blood out. I use my fingers for that) and lick my lips alot, and i get immense satisfaction when dead skin comes off.

Sometimes my urge becomes so great.....I can't go to sleep, even if medications attempt to force me.

Not only is this process painful (though oddly that contributes to my pleasure), but it's a bit difficult to explain that red stuff on my fingers and all over my hands. Also, it does make my lips hurt "a bit" afterwards.

People who watch me do it say that sometimes I get to the point where it looks like a wild animal is clawing at my lips.....And whenever it gets really bad, I have EXCESSIVE saliva production, I'm very moody, and seemingly obsessed with picking my lips. I've done this ever since I can remember.

My teeth begin to grind, I feel surges of energy throughout my body, I feel the intense need to contract all my foot mudcles, my tongue, bite on something, (of course) pick my lips, flex my biceps, and all my hand muscles.

What is this? Why is it happening, and how can I stop it? And please, no vampire jokes.... I hear them enough as is.

[Nubclear]

Not even a vampire joke.....A bit unusual for Apolyton

[geeslaka]

We must have pick up the same mutation somehow. I get the same way occasionally (though I repress the urge more) Maybe it's from living too close to those damn mormons.

[Clear Skies]

Sounds like a form of obsessive compulsive disorder, but I'm no expert.

I know people with (somewhat milder) forms of this.

[Nubclear]

Originally posted by Clear Skies
Sounds like a form of obsessive compulsive disorder, but I'm no expert.

Been diagnosed with it. But....I have no "obsession" in this "compulsion".

Also, my doctor says that my OCD is HEAVILY tilted towards "obession" and is about 5 percent "compulsion".

[lightblue]

Some form of self harm complex perhaps? Although this usually manifests in cutting oneself. But I am no doctor, so couldn't really say anything.

[VJ]

What does your blood taste like?

[geeslaka]

I do this so often that my blood seems tasteless. I'm not sure about my gf's though...

[Eli]

It's simple. You're crazy.

[The Mad Monk]

Sounds like an assortment of random tics -- other than the lip licking, do they change in frequency or type? When they come upon you, is it spontaneous and involuntary (such that you can do it without noticing it yourself or when asleep), or are you always conscious of it when it happens and can control your response to some extent (in other words, it's like an "itch" you need to "scratch")?

Do you ever catch yourself needing to say some short word or phrase, perhaps repeatedly?

Are you able to deliberately dampen these urges to a greater or lesser extent when you "need" to, such as at formal gatherings?

[Boris Godunov]

Could it be just a bad habit?

[The Mad Monk]

I'm thinking Tourette's Syndrome.

[Clear Skies]

Doesn't Tourette's manifest almost invariably with verbal tics accompanying any physical ones?

[JohnT]

[The Mad Monk]

No, it can have limited or no verbal tics at all, or verbal tics can come or go. They're a classic symptom, but mostly occur in the more extreme cases.

[Clear Skies]

I need to watch Ally McBeal less often, evidently.

[The Mad Monk]

http://www.tsa-usa.org/

From the FAQ:

3. Q. Is obscene language (coprolalia) a typical symptom of TS?

A. Definitely not. The fact is that cursing, uttering obscenities, and ethnic slurs are manifested by fewer than 15% of people with TS. Too often, however, the media seize upon this symptom for its sensational effect.

7. Q. How are tics classified?

A. Two categories of tics and several other examples are:

Simple:

Motor -- Eye blinking, head jerking, shoulder shrugging and
facial grimacing.

Vocal -- Throat clearing, yelping and other noises, sniffing and tongue clicking.

Complex:

Motor -- Jumping, touching other people or things, smelling,
twirling about, and only rarely, self-injurious actions including
hitting or biting oneself.

Vocal -- Uttering words or phrases out of context and coprolalia (vocalizing socially unacceptable words).

The range of tics or tic-like symptoms that can be seen in TS is very broad. The complexity of some symptoms is often
perplexing to family members, friends, teachers and employers who may find it hard to believe that the actions or vocal utterances are involuntary.

10. Q. Do all people with TS have associated behaviors in addition to tics?

A. No, but many do have one or more additional problems
which may include:

Obsessions which consist of repetitive unwanted or
bothersome thoughts.

Compulsions and Ritualistic Behaviors which occur when a person feels that something must be done over and over and/or in a certain way. Examples include touching an object with one hand after touching it with the other hand to "even things up" or repeatedly checking to see that the flame on the stove is turned off. Children sometimes beg their parents to repeat a sentence many times until it "sounds right."

I have a very mild case myself, though I have never tried to have it treated.

[Drogue]

Tourettes syndrome looks possible, as does Obessive Compulsive Disorder. Self harm a as means of release and control looks less likely to me, as that would be swayed more to the fact that you control it, and is not normally manifested in lip picking. Alternatively, although unlikely, Vampyrism is a psychiatric disorder. If it is the action of biting or picking your lip that is the important bit, it is much more likely one of the first 2 mentioned. However if it is more about the blood, which struck me about your first post (

suck on my own blood

) then it is a possibility. I once met a girl who suffered from it. Incredibly interesting and fun person, if you can get passed the weirdness of it. A dangerous disorder, and extremely rare, so is probably not the cause at all, bit cases have been recorded.

[Solly]

I "pick at" my gums with my teeth, but don't really take anything off them. Totally an inherited trait - I have noticed my dad do it.

[Inverse Icarus]

why do you have to classify it? you're just f*cked up. there was once a day when crazy was crazy, better dead than red, duck and cover a-bomb drills.

those were the days.

[Cruddy]

Hmm... my 2 cents - seems to me your lips are craving for stimulation, and the scraping/bleeding part could just be a side effect of this craving.

Crying out for mothering? Desperate to snog? I'm not sure... but it sounds pretty mild and beatable to me.

I don't think it's self harm or self mutilation as such because you don't seem to have the self loathing that goes with it... although maybe they have a common cause, that is, craving for stimulation.

Maybe you're just too bored?

[Buck Birdseed]

I thought Tourettes' manifested itself in childhood and didn't change after puberty.

[chequita guevara]

Try lip balm.

[Neutrino]

How old are you? It sounds like OCD and/or Tourette Syndrome. I used to have some involuntary nervous 'tics' a during early high school but they stopped a few yrs ago. My doc gave me prescriptions for Prozac.. don't think that helped any though. Tourette syndrome symptons usually disappear by adulthood and are common suring childhood and adolescence.

[Nubclear]

What does your blood taste like?

Very good.

It's simple. You're crazy.

Thanks

do they change in frequency or type?

Hmm?

When they come upon you, is it spontaneous and involuntary (such that you can do it without noticing it yourself or when asleep), or are you always conscious of it when it happens and can control your response to some extent (in other words, it's like an "itch" you need to "scratch")?

The "itch" I need to "scratch", definately.

Do you ever catch yourself needing to say some short word or phrase, perhaps repeatedly?

Nope.

Are you able to deliberately dampen these urges to a greater or lesser extent when you "need" to, such as at formal gatherings?

Yes.

Vampyrism is a psychiatric disorder.

I was joking about that

It's much more about the picking itself, though the sucking of blood is desirable as well.

[Combat Ingrid]

Stay away from Utah for a while and see if it goes away

[geeslaka]

I agree. It must be caused by those damn mormons.

[The Mad Monk]

I suggest you look into Tourette's, Tass.

Tourette's is often lifelong, but it may not seem that way because people get better at concealing it as they go along.

[Dis]

That's not a good habit to have if you want to one day kiss women.

[Nubclear]

Originally posted by Dissident
That's not a good habit to have if you want to one day kiss women.