Picking Skin

trm

There is a big fancy word called Dermatillomanina which is a OCD thing of picking one's on skin.  My spouse picks her arms over and over and over.  They bleed.  It is messy and it is frustrating.  The Doc raised the antidepressant but it didn't help.  Just curious if anyone else has had this issue and any luck of how to control it?  This is such an exhausting disease.  It is brutal and each day seems to bring more challenges, more battles, and more exhaustion.

toolbeltexpert

Trm I see several here in the mcf where my wife is, who incessantly pick. One man has opened several sores on the top of his head that put creme and bandage it once it heals he starts all over again.

It does seem to come and go though.

Stewart

harshedbuzz

trm-

This is a fairly common behavior among people with autism as well. I used to be forum moderator for a support and information forum around Aspergers/HFA where this topic came up frequently. It can be difficult to get a handle on it.

Some strategies that can help extinguish this behavior follow. Many families report that it can take a multipronged approach to dealing with picking and that sometimes only a slight improvement can be gained even with vigilant care.

1. I'm not sure which medication your doctor prescribed, but psychiatrists and developmental pedis I have talked with typically cite Zoloft as the most likely to be successful in dialing back this kind of behavior. 

2. Often this picking is worsened by the sensations created when scabs form. There's a feeling of the skin not being smooth/scabs pulling as the skin under them heals. If you can keep the skin moisturized in general and especially prevent scabs from forming in the first place, the need to pick may be lessened. Using a rich cream like Cetaphil can keep the skin moisturized and current wounds can be dressed with an application of something like Aquaphor or petroleum jelly. I'd avoid Neosporin as many people are sensitive to it. 

3. Limiting access to healing wounds helps, too. A tightly fitting long-sleeved top may help limit the damage she can do to her skin. A cotton or silky thermal tee might be worth trying. Also, keep her nails trimmed really short-- a quick file daily with an emery board can maintain this once you've gotten them cut. Some folks use mittens or mitts--especially overnight.

4. When my son did this it was about a scab that he wouldn't leave alone. I used Liquid Bandage on healthy skin to redirect this allowing him to pick at that rather than skin. 

5. Adding a figit might help if this behavior is driven by boredom. Theraputty, a poppet toy or even towels to fold might keep her busy enough to give her skin a rest. 

HTH-

HB

Quilting brings calm

It can also happen to people who have anxiety and depression. My mom picked at the skin on her arms, until they bled, for decades, as has my spouse.   Yes, mom now has dementia, but only for the last few years. It is as if they feel imaginary bumps or scabs. Then of course they end up with scabs, that they then pick at.   Both are on medications for their anxiety and depression.