A redditor who goes by “scumtarty” posted a time lapse video of himself lightly scratching his arm with a mechanical pencil in this Reddit post, in hopes that the ever-so-wise Reddit community could help diagnose his condition — which causes his skin to swell when scratched. Apparently it takes about 15 minutes for his skin to swell and lasts anywhere from 2-3 hours.

According to the teen, the condition is actually entertaining, although he has frequent run-ins with teachers, counselors and even other students who think he’s self-harming. Sadly, since most kids are the dumbest ever — I can see how this might be a legitimate concern. It’s kind of like how people with fashionable gluten “allergies” ruin it for everybody else.

At any rate, Reddit came to the rescue — diagnosing the condition as “Dermatographic Urticaria”:

Dermatographic urticaria (also known as dermographism, dermatographism or “skin writing”) is a skin disorder seen in 4–5% of the world’s population and is one of the most common types of urticaria, in which the skin becomes raised and inflamed when stroked, scratched, rubbed, and sometimes even slapped. It is most common in teenagers and young adults, ages 15-30.

Well done, people of Reddit. Next time I have anything wrong with me I know for damn sure where I’m going, and it sure as hell ain’t “Doctor Copay Minimum Deductible.”

(Via Daily Dot)