addicted to scratching the dandruff flakes from my head

Dr. Johnson wrote:

Dr. Johnson wrote:

I'm currently researching this tic. I think that it is a type of widely under-looked (because it is rarely reported) impulse control disorder like trich (hair pulling).

A few questions for you guys:

1. How old were you when the habit started?
2. Did you move around a lot as a kid/teenager?
3. Do you experience anxiety/depression?
4. Do you feel that picking the dandruff relieves stress?
5. Do you do it even when your head isn't itching?
6. Do you feel sad when you can't find any dandruff?

Also, what is your race? Where are you from? Are you a boy or girl?

I am caucasian, I live in Florida and I am a 29 year old male.

I am blonde and I have dandruff. Lots of it...

OMG! Thought I was the only one! I'm 26 from the uk, I scratch my head everywhere just to see all the dandruf fall out! Addiction! I do it so much that my head starts bleeding! Shameful but I've even sprinkled suger in my hair to scratch them back out! Been like this for the past 15 years!

The keyboard on my laptop as i write this is covered in dandruff, and also the arm of my sofa im sat on, i love to see large flakes. My girlfriend thinks its disgusting and that i have a problem. Im a 36 year old male who has been doing this since i was about 14??? Has anyone tried to take photos in a dark room of falling dandruff?? Do this and you will see ghostly orbs on the photo (the flash of the camera bounces of each flake) Its wierd but its so addictive!

Just been for my hair cut this morning, how embarrassing!  I have a scab on my head that was well healed apart from a slight nick towards the front, well everything was going fine until she back combed my hair,  the metal comb she was using somehow caught it on the sweep she took, the end result was a painful removal of the scab, it started to bleed  as a result, all i could say is i knew i had a "spot" and thought it had gone??? As for my dandruff i washed my hair with mouthwash followed by baby shampoo and then conditioner, I find i have clear hair for a few days. Im a male in my 30s and i too admit i like seeing a dandruff shower so cant wait until it returns.  It was the scab thing this morning that really embarassed me.

I've been combing out dandruff for over 40 years. I like watching it fall over a dark surface and I like the strange shapes of the flakes. I try not to do it in public. Using a shampoo with a conditioner almost got rid of it also sunshine and feeling happier I think.

i find chewing gum takes my mind off of my hair so i stop scratching so much.  Erbody should try it, it really does help

im a 12 yrs old girl and i have to scratch my hair not because i want because it itches oww my hair was itching me try to put vinger and water into   a big bowl then put your head in it try to do it onces a week like me the dandruff seems not me itch  :-P

omg! i don't know how it started i remember i looked in the mirror when i was 9 and i took another mirror to see the back of my head and saw a dandruff and i started itching. i do it every time i do my hair i go in the bathroom and put a piece of black clothe down and itch. its gross but i wash my hair and it ha alot of dandruff then i itch my hair then some time later there are big scabs and i itch them and save them for like 2 minutes. i feel wierd talking about it. some days i stay in the bathroom for about 1 hour and my mom asked what i was doing so long. i just wanna know what this is called. and i want to stop. i tried doing "a strike" with myself not to for 1 day then i start to feel itchy all over then give up. HELP ME . 

I have to say I have the same exact problem...
it used to be that i would scratch them off, look at them for a while and the bigger the flake the more the satisfaction. Also the more I could see the holes where the hair follicles are the better. Then I would throw them away. But eventually I had the idea of saving them, and so I did and I have. I know it's disgusting and I hide them because I'm so afraid people will find out and think I'm a freak but I can't stop. It's like some odd satisfaction I get from it especially since I take them out of the container and look at them sometimes. I'll be watching tv or doing homework or brushing my hair in the bathroom mirror and I start and before I know it it's been an hour of me just sitting there picking my dandruff. Before dandruff it was peeling skin off of my feet...(literally i would do it untill my feet were bleeding :/ and then I'd have to explain why the bottom of my feet were purple. it would hurt so much but i would continue anyway??) And before that it was nail chewing. And before that it was tapping my fingers on everything. And then sometimes I'll tweeze hairs, any hairs, leg hair, arm hair, or even pubic hair one by one for hours. It's like everytime I get rid of a habit, I pick another one up and I don't even realize it untill it's too late. Could this be OCD or anxiety? I showed autistic tendancies as a child as well... :C

Everytime i use my laptop do the dandruff snowfall thing, my keyboard is covered and the bits get down they key buttons, i readcar magazines and look for dark coloured cars to cover with dandruff, i then find a light coloured car photo to see my dandruff blend in, i really cant stop the habbit.

Im so glad i found this site. I cant remember when i started to scratch my head but ive only REALLY started scratching at the start of this year... Maybe even a little at the end of last year.. When i think about it, its really gross :( but its impossible for me to stop... Its like people who are addicted to biting their fingernails. For me i just always seem to be scratching my head.... I actually hate it but its so hard to stop. My mum, dad and best friend always tell me to stop, they get so annoyed with me, but they dont understand, thats why im so glad i found this website, cause at least now i know im not the only one thats in this situation. I know it sounds awful but i enjoy standing in front of the mirror scratching my head, combing my hair to see what comes out, pulling every bit of dandruff out of my hair, flipping my head around looking under differnent layers, sometimes i even take pictures of the scabs that i cant see ( i delete them after, dont worry :) ). I get so self-concious becuase i cant see the back of my head, im always worried that people at school might say something. Once one of my friends actually did and then she satrted picking dandruff out of my ponytail. When i told my hairdresser about my head-scratching she gave me mousturizing shampoo and conditioner.. It kind of works but not for very long... I also have 'carolines cream' but that doesnt really work for long either. I have eczema too- its not so bad anymore but i wondered if that had anything to do with it. Im just so sick of picking stuff out of my hair. Thankyou to people who gave some suggestions for what to do. Im looking forward to trying some. Also, for dr johnson that asked: i am a girl, 14 years old, i havent really moved around a lot, sometimes i get anxiety and depression, but not too often, i would say that it does relieve stress (most of the time), yes i do scratch my head when its not itchy, sometimes i think i do it subconciously, and no i dont fell sad when i dont find dandruff, probably happier actually. Lets hope we can find some type of cure soon :) xx

- hang on.. Sorry... To dr johnson... Yes i do move around a lot.. I thought you meant living in differnt places... But yes i travel around the world all the time with my family :)

Had my hair cut again today and the same thing happened as last time i visited, the metal comb the hairdresser used caught a nearly healed scab and took the scab clean off, i tried to move my head slightly so the sweep she took cleared but i wasnt quick enough, the stinging pain was awful. My hair was at least dandruff free as i washed my hair with Plax mouth wash followed by T Gel hair shampoo, this keeps me dandruff free for about 4 days, I admit i look forward to the dandruff returning so i can do the "dandruff shower thing" other a black coloured object.