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Topic of the week: How to keep children from obsessing over their appearance

By Mara Levy Published: 2007-12-10 19:54
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By Erin Donnelly
Published: Monday, October 29, 2007 - 14:52

Eating dirt, pulling your hair out, getting aroused by vomit - there are some addictions that not even the Betty Ford Clinic knows what to do with. Believe it or not, there are people out there who are obsessed with - and chemically drawn to - some of the most disturbing, unthinkable, and self-harming behavior imaginable. While there may be no 12-step program to overcoming an addiction to self-cannibalism, give it time. At the rate today's rehabbing Hollywood starlets are going, it's probably just a matter of time before one of them falls victim to these disorders du jour.

PicaPica



Pica

Here's a hint: Never accept a dinner invitation from someone who suffers from pica, an eating disorder in which individuals feast on nonfood substances "including, but not limited to, clay, dirt, sand, stones, pebbles, hair, feces, lead, laundry starch, vinyl gloves, plastic, pencil erasers, ice, fingernails, paper, paint chips, coal, chalk, wood, plaster, light bulbs, needles, string, cigarette butts, wire, and burnt matches," reports eMedicine.com.

Pica - which is not diagnosed unless the behavior continues for at least one month - is most often seen in children, or in those with developmental disabilities. Pica may also be affect women during pregnancy, or those who live in poverty-stricken countries.

See, that kid in school who ate paste wasn't just weird - he had a condition!
TrichotillomaniaTrichotillomania



Trichotillomania

Everyone has those moments when we get so stressed that we want to pull our hair out. And if you suffer from trichotillomania, otherwise known as compulsive hair pulling (and occasional eating), those moments are frighteningly frequent.

In an interview with HairBoutique.com, Dr. Howard Rosenthal says an estimated eight million Americans have trichotillomania, in which ripping the hair from the scalp or skin incites a feeling of gratification. Bald and sparse patches are a common result of this behavior.

Linked to OCD, trichotillomania may be treatable through hypnosis, behavior modification, medication, and other approaches.
EmetophiliaEmetophilia



Emetophilia

Emetophilia is one twisted fetish that will make you want to reach for a barf bag - literally. This condition is marked by being sexually aroused by vomiting - produced by oneself or by a nauseous partner. You've heard of the "golden shower." This is the "Roman shower." According to Wikipedia, "the emetophile fantasizes that he or she is consumed by the person who is vomiting, and imagines him/herself as covered by the contents of the person's stomach while within the stomach of the person who is the target of their fantasy."

And you thought your love life was messy.

Dermatillomania

Similar to trichotillomania, dermatillomania refers to an impulse control behavior that drives people to compulsively pick at their skin, often inflicting self-injury and scarring.

As WiseGeek.com reports, dermatillomania sufferers often pick at scabs and insect bites "in a trance-like state," and frequently create fresh lesions by constantly scratching or picking at undamaged skin.

The disorder is linked to both OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and body dismorphic disorder, in which individuals may see their scabs or lesions as flaws that need to be picked at.
AbasiophiliaAbasiophilia



Abasiophilia

Crutches, leg braces, wheelchairs, oh my! Abasiophilia is a psycho-sexual condition in which people are aroused by the physically disabled and mobility impaired, particularly those who rely on orthopedic devices or prosthetics to get around.

Though the vehicular-accident-as-aphrodisiac film Crash provided a Yuppie interpretation of abasiophilia (remember Rosanna Arquette in her sleek black leg braces and fishnet stockings?), Wikipedia states that most abasiophiliacs came of age during the 1940s-1960s, when leg braces due to polio were a common sight. The condition is also considered to originate in early childhood, pre-puberty.
Artist Marco Evaristti created - then ate - meatballs made from fat removed during an earlier liposuction procedureArtist Marco Evaristti created - then ate - meatballs made from fat removed during an earlier liposuction procedure



Self-cannibalism

Self-cannibalism is one addiction you really, really don't want to pick up.

Though rare, extreme cases of self-cannibalism have been reported, as in the case of artist Marco Evaristti, who created meatballs made from fat removed during an earlier liposuction procedure he'd had. The spectacular case of Germany's Armin Miewes and Bernd Brandes also involved self-cannibalism; Brandes agreed to have his penis severed, which he and Miewes tried to eat before Brandes was killed and used as Miewes' dinner for months before the police were alerted.

Most forms of self-cannibalism are less Hannibal Lecter-ish. According to Wikipedia, individuals with Lesch-Nyhan syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, and Cornelia de Lange syndrome may bite their lips, fingers, cheeks, or tongues. Fingernail and hair biting and eating can also be considered variations of both self-cannibalism and pica.
PyromaniaPyromania



Pyromania

Smokey Bear always warned us not to play with matches, but that's not really an option for those afflicted with pyromania. Though sometimes confused with violent arsonists, pyromaniacs have an impulse-control disorder in which individuals experience feelings of arousal and gratification when setting fires, states PsychCentral.com.

Wikipedia reports that pyromania is extremely rare, and that 90% of pyromaniacs are male.

In the immortal words of Paris Hilton, "that's hot."
Sneezing FetishSneezing Fetish



Sneezing Fetish

You had me at...ah-choo?

Proving that there is officially a fetish for pretty much everything, no matter how snotty, Wikipedia reports of a sneezing fetishism marked by arousal to the act of sneezing. Sneezing enthusiasts even have preferences, such as what caused the sneeze and whether or not it was stifled or loud. This behavior is generally thought to come about through classical conditioning.

"Many sneezing fetishists report that orgasms are more easily attainable and/or intense when brought about using sneezing role play, listening to recorded sneezes, having a partner sneeze for them or reading sneeze fetish fiction ("sneezefic")," Wikipedia reports. "Many sneeze fetishists are very self-conscious about sneezing in front of family members or in public. For some, living with family members who suffer from allergies or frequent illness can be very stressful. Some fetishists are just as upset by their own sneezes as their family's, but others can get turned on by their own sneezes, and may induce sneezing using a wide variety of methods to increase their enjoyment of the fetish."

If all this tickles your fancy (and nose?), check out the Sneeze Fetish Forum, which truly brings new meaning to the phrase "blow job."

ProstheticsProsthetics



Body Integrity Identity Disorder

Remember that recent "Grey's Anatomy" episode where a patient used a chainsaw to amputate his own perfectly good leg? That's what we call a not-so-McDreamy condition called Body Integrity Identity Disorder (sometimes known as apotomnophilia), in which a person craves the amputation of one or more limbs.

"I wasn't born in the correct body," Lilly, who has twice tried to amputate her legs, told ABC News. "The mind doesn't connect up to the body at all."

Those with Body Integrity Identity Disorder often describe feeling "off" or incomplete with their bodies, and often act out by posing as an amputee (using crutches, braces, or wheelchairs); seeking surgical options; self-amputating a limp; or inflicting so much damage (via prolonged dry ice exposure, gunshot blasts, etc.) that surgeons have no choice but to amputate.
Did Dracula suffer from Hematolagnia?Did Dracula suffer from Hematolagnia?



Hematolagnia

Here's an addiction after Dracula's own heart. Hematolagnia refers to a blood fetish, in which sexual pleasure is derived from the sight, touch, feel, and taste of blood.

According to Wikipedia.com, this can manifest in a variety of ways: biting or cutting to release blood; licking or drinking blood; sexual "bloodplay"; intercourse or oral sex during a woman's menstrual period; or a fixation on used tampons (ick).

In some cases a blood fetish is linked to a vampire fetish, but the two are for the most part distinct. Blood-borne diseases also pose a significant risk to those who indulge in blood fantasies.