What is the difference between dermatillomania and obsessive-compulsive disorder?

What is the difference between dermatillomania and obsessive-compulsive disorder?

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a specific condition that also lends its name to a category of mental health conditions. While dermatillomania falls under the overall category of obsessive-compulsive disorders, it still has some key differences from the specific condition of OCD.

• Obsessions. OCD involves obsessions, which are thoughts or urges that a person can’t control and doesn’t want. Those kinds of obsessions don’t happen with dermatillomania.
• Feeling of reward. When people with dermatillomania pick at their own skin, they often feel relief or other positive emotions. That doesn’t happen with OCD.
• Damage. OCD rarely involves any kind of self-damage or self-injury. With dermatillomania, that kind of self-injury is extremely common.