Scab picking/skin picking

My 5 year old has been picking her scabs on and off for a year now. She seems to have seasonal allergies also. I have noticed when she is on generic Zyrtec for the allergies she doesn't pick as much or stops all together. Then after a meeting with her teacher it was brought to my attention that when she is picking a lot her school work suffers. My daughters teacher reports that during the bad picking times she is more emotional, doesnt want to try to do new things, doesnt seem to have time to try and scribbles her work. I contacted our doctor and she recommened that I get her evaluated by a pshchologist. My insurance company agreed and also reccomended that I get her allergy tested. While waiting for our appointments I have decided to keep her on the generic Zyrtec daily and her attitude is better and the skin picking has nearly stopped. Could the scab picking and her allergies be related or is the Zyrtec treating a psycological issue?


This discussion is related to RE:RE: Compulsive scab picking.

[jdtm]

The correct term for skin/scab picking is called Dermatillomania.  It is an impulse control disorder and is a behaviour often triggered  by tension, anxiety, or stress.  As far as I know, Zyrtec is not one of the medications used for anxiety or impulse control (usually it is one of the SSRI's) but I read on the internet that this medication can have a postive effect on anxiety.  Nonetheless, if your daughter is suffering from some form of anxiety and/or impulse behaviour, there are better medications for these issues.  I doubt if the dermatillomania and her sensitivity to allergies are related.  Hope this helps ....

[margypops]

The Zyrtec is for the allergies its possible the spots are from an allergy I would think that would be the way to go, see a dermatologist , instead of thinking in terms of anxiety meds for a 5 year old .Treat the cause of the habit, why has she got the spots , did the doctor not want to treat them?

[lhughes]

Since my skin is itchy/crawly due to allergies and my daughter's too, our pediatrician has my daughter on Zyrtec in the mornings because it has anti-itch qualities with it and Singular at night.  I would bet that your daughter's skin itches or crawls like ours (it's hard to describe if you don't know the feeling).  I pick scabs and scratch continually sometimes without realizing that is what I'm doing, have done so all my life.  My daughter scratches in her sleep.  Sometimes when nervous or stressed, the itchiness will hyper itself and benedryl or atarax is the only thing that will calm it.  And once the itching starts, it does rather make you "irritable". They tend to go hand in hand and one will exacerbate the other.
OTC Topical creams usually won't help (that is what my dermatologist suggested), a mild topical steroid and sometimes a heavy topical steroid (depending on the type of itch..lesion) will do.