to suggest that skin picking disorders are due to inherited traits or genes. There have been multiple small studies with similar conclusions in regards to the SAPAP3 gene. Excessive grooming by mice has been observed by researchers after the deletion of the SAPAP3 gene. This observation led researchers to study the effects of the SAPAP3 gene on patients with trichotillomania—a disorder marked by the same behaviors directed at one's own head and body hair. This study revealed a significant link between a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) within the SAPAP3 gene and trichotillomania. Diagnosis There has been controversy over the creation of a separate category in the DSM-5 for excoriation (skin picking) disorder. Two of the main reasons for objecting to the inclusion of excoriation disorder in the DSM-5 are: that excoriation disorder may just be a symptom of a different underlying disorder, e.g. OCD or BDD, and excoriation disorder is merely a bad habit and that by allowing this disorder to obtain its own separate category it would force the DSM to include a wide array of bad habits as separate syndromes, e.g., nail-biting, nose-picking, hair pulling, etc. Stein has argued that excoriation disorder does qualify as a separate syndrome and should be classified as its own category because: Excoriation disorder occurs as the primary disorder and not as a subset of a larger disorder. Excoriation disorder has well-defined clinical features. There is gathering data on the clinical features and diagnostic criteria for this condition. There is sufficient data to create this as a separate category for excoriation disorder. The incidence rate for excoriation disorder is high within the population. Diagnostic criteria for the disease have already been proposed. The classification of excoriation disorder as a separate condition would lead to better studies and better treatment outcomes. Classification as a separate condition would lead to more awareness of the disorder and encourage more people to obtain treatment. A new scale used to diagnosis excoriation was used in a recent study, and the results published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, in May 2022. The scale is titled: Diagnostic Interview for Skin Picking Problems (DISP). The DISP is designed to confirm DSM-5 criteria for the diagnosis, combined with a clinical interview to determine frequency of skin picking, and the body areas impacted. Initial results from the study (n = 120) participants show clinical confirmation at a satisfactory