Compulsive Scalp Picking

[Christi797]

I am 28 years old and have picked scabs on my scalp since I was about 12 years old.  Normally I find little imperfections, possibly dandruff or dry scalp, and I pick at it until it becomes a scab.  Once a scab develops, I find myself uncontrollably picking at it, so it usually never heals or takes an extremely long time or another scab to develop to stop.  Right now, I have a total of six scabs that I have created on my scalp.  When I am picking I can't necessarily say that it relieves stress like I have found on some of the other web sites, but more of an obsession that I can't control.  I have been treated for depression and PTSD, but have never mentioned my compulsive picking.  I have been prescribed both Zoloft and Prozac with Klonopin for the symptoms of anxiety and depression, but I still seem to pick at me head.  The kicker is that I also do this in my sleep.  I will literally wake up with blood under my nails.  What treatment options are there other than medication?  Should I tell my primary care physician or should I talk to a psychiatrist?  What are some of the causes of this, could it be OCD?  I don't really have any sort of rituals like you see or read about or extreme fears, but I can not seem to stop picking at my scalp, and although I am not pulling at my hair, I am noticing hair loss.  Any feedback would be appreciated.

[DumbHick]

I just want to mention that is an OCD related behavior. Many folks that have your condition are diagnosed with OCD as well. You should mention it to a psychiatrist if you're not already seeing one.

[Mark1988]

Definately speak to your psychiatrist. A psychologist would help you overcome your constant picking by getting to the route cause of the problem, why did you start doing it? when was it and what happened around the time you first did it? Questions like this would be asked and it's possible you do it as a coping mechanism of some kind. It could be an OCD or it could be described as a simple habit. We're all creatures of habit, drawn towards the comfort of the familiar, it may be the fact that if you found picking your scalp as a coping mechanism in the past then you may have just learnt to do it as you know it relieves you of stress or any imbalance of emotion. There could be some underlying cognitive or behavioral faults that could be sorted by a psychologist that could break the habit. Like you said, it may not relieve stress but it may be as a result of the stressor and this is how your mind attempts to cope with it.

[aggie68]

Hi, My daughter was just diagnosed with trichotillomania.  an impulse disorder in which she pulls her hair out.  In my research, skin picking is in the same catagory.  The treatment for this type of disorder is therapy and medications such as Zoloft and Klonopin.  These disorders are closely related to OCD. Good luck to you.

[DizzyDolly]

Scientific evidence has supposedly found that OCD is a result of a chemical imbalance. Thus medication is usually prescribed to help with the compulsive side, whilst therapy, usually cognative behavioural therapy is used in combination with this to treat the obsession/reason for your compulsion. Prozac can be used to treat OCD, but usually needs to be at a much higher dose before it can take effect. I was told by my doctor 20ml for depression and 60ml for OCD, but it will vary depending upon patient. It's best for you to talk to your doctor about this compulsion, so they can start you on the best treatment option for you, Its very unlikely your doctor will judge you, but if you don't get on with your doctor, I'd go see another one. A doctor that judges you shouldn't be a doctor at all.

[littlemarla]

I am 51 years old and have the same problem as you.  I find it relieves my anxiety and stress level.  It is very strange that something that hurts me also makes me feel better.  I take prozac and a low dose of xanax, but it isn't helping much.  My head it covered with scabs.  I hope you and I find an answer to our problem.  There are many people with this problem.  We are not alone.  God bless and good luck.

[DizzyDolly]

I was searching online the other day about scalp problems cos my scalp looks white and there arn't flakes, but seems like build up. It sounds like you may have scalp problems/build up too. It seems like in picking the build up, you are causing your scalp to bleed. One way you could break the picking is to remove anything there to pick. Have you tried a tar/medicated shampoo? You can find them on shelf and they're used to things like scalp periosis (spelling?) serbaceous dermatitis and dandruff. It wont get rid of the scabs you keep picking, but it may help with the imperfections you refer to.

[brooke1968]

i have had this problem for a year. I thought I had scalp problelms.  I realize that I have created it my self. I can't stop.I hate it. My scalp hurts
so bad. I cant stand if someone touches my head. I dont know what to do. it sounds like a freak telling someone that you can't stop picking. But, I think after I pick I do feel better.

[bp819]

Your description sounds exactly like my scalp picking problem. I am 26 years old but I only started this 3 years ago. To be honest, I can't recall how this all started. it's as if I'm trying to clean/smoothen my scalp from dandruff/scabs with my nails..but it just creates more. I'm embarrased to go to the salon because of the scattered bald patches and newly formed scabs. How do I explain if asked what the scabs are from???

But i understand the frustration and embarassment of it all. My family can't stand it because they think it looks disgusting, which adds to the guilt of the behavior. They don't understand and say "Just stop" but that's easier said than done.  I was diagnosed 4 years ago with severe depression, Bipolar II and PTSD, although I've been suffering from the 3 with symptoms since I was 16 but did not get help until later.

When I told my doctor about my compulsive scalp picking, first she said to "cut my nails" but that does not help. Or wear mittens and a beanie =).....but that does not solve the underlying cause of the behavior itself. It's under "trictillomania" which is compulsive hair pulling even though I don't directly sit there and pull my hair out. The deep picking/bleeding/scab cycle eventually results in a small bald spot.

[RaynaCorynn]

I've had a scalp picking disorder for as long as I can remember. I can literally scratch my head for hours. It almost seems like I go into a soothing trance-like state. I don't even notice the pain until well after I'm done, or the next time that I shower and the water hurts the wounded areas. For me it feels comforting, but I too feel shamed with the yuckiness of this habit. I am aware of the fact that it is a disgusting activity but it seems to be like an itch that I can not possibly help but itch (pardon the pun). I am also obsessed with popping anything that slightly resembles a zit, and find enormous levels of satisfaction when I pop them. I assume these habits are related. It is comforting to know that I am not alone.

[MLE47]

I too have this problem. I have been doing it off and on for over 10 years. I typically do it for a six month period before I force myself to stop, then maybe a few years later I'll find a small bump on my scalp and start the process all over again until I wake up in the morning with blood under my nails or an infection sets in and there is pus. My husband thinks it's disgusting and it is. I have even gone as far as saving all the white scabs. For a period  of time I thought if I cut my finger nails all the way down I wouldn't be able to pick and therefore stop the habit, but I ended up using a metal nail file to get under a scab and then would pull the rest off with my fingers.

I always found it a relieving and satisfying point in my day when I get to finally sit down alone and pick. I have blamed the condition on the bad eczema that plagues the rest of my body but if the scabs did exist because of the eczema it still didn't excuse the compulsive picking. I suggest that you speak with your primary care physician about prescription shampoos or steroids to help speed the healing of your scalp, cut your finger nails, think how bad you would feel if you ended up with permanent bald spots and possibly work with a counselor or psychologist to get to what is really behind all of this.

[lalabirdyyyluvzuxoxo]

I pick my scalp like all the time!!! i dont know why but it just makes me feel good and its fun i guessss, but its a bad habbit cause now i bet without any hair my scalp looks really gross. i do it wen i get nervous i just pick my scalp and pick a big chunk of dandruff or scapl wutever it is and pull it out u oick my boy friends scalp toooo! and sometimes my moms or someone that lets me wen i have no more good scabs to pick off of my scalp

[lalabirdyyyluvzuxoxo]

im 16 years old, and i have been picking at my scalp sience i was about 6 or 7. it relaxes me and usually i dont know that im doing it. i do it in school and when i realize what im doing i feel embarrased because people who see me are probably grossed out when i pull a big piece of scalp out and flick it onto the floor. when i have no good spots that i can pick on my head i pick them off of other people. my boy friend lets me pick his head and i think he likes it and i like it because i just like picking things off of other things(: my mom picks her scalp tooo and i love when she picks my scalp its just so relaxing and i dont really think its weird but i dont think its normal because i dont see a lot of other people doing it but idk it just feels good and its fun

[jimmydoe]

Christi, I had struggled with the exact same problem as you for almost 20 years.  Sometimes it would get out of control and I would get down on myself because I couldn't stop.  I thought it was all about my lack of will power.

I recently contracted a skin fungus on my back and face and in researching it came to find out that my scalp condition was associated with the yeast Malassezia furfur.  My doctor prescribed a pill that women take for yeast infections.  The medication combined with alternating use of Selsun Blue and Head & Shoulders shampoos has eliminated my problem.  For the first time in 20 years my scalp is clear and I don't have the urge to pick at it!  I have determined that it was not a test of my will power after all;  I simply had an infection that was never properly addressed.  

I know there is a lot of misleading and unhelpful information out there on this difficult to discuss topic and I hope this helps you to have a clear scalp as well.  Best of luck.

JD

[jimmydoe]

P.S. here is some supplemental information on the subject http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seborrheic_dermatitis

[sammysduck]

Wow! This is the first time that I have googled "Obsessive scalp picking" and I have to say, it is amazing to see how many people out there have this same obsession. My obsession is really bad. I pick and pick and pick. Especially when I am reading or watching tv. I get in a total ZONE. It is so soothing to me. I guess it is stress that causes me to pick. I have picked for years and years; since I was about 8. (I am now 26). I pick so much that when it is time to wash my hair, it burns. But I love picking my scalp after I have washed my hair. That is my favorite time to pick. It sounds weird, I know. My husband says I look like a monkey, always picking at my head the way I do. I try to stay cleear of wearing dark colors cause of the dandrif I create. I usually wear white shirts or light grey so the dandruf doesnt show up. I found that when I would wear acrylic nails that I would stop picking so much. Acryllic nails arent sharp enough too pick the way real nails can. It is less satisfying for me. I do suffer from depression and anxiety and am currently on 20 mg Lexipro and .5 mg Klonopin. But it doesnt help my obsession. I cant say that I am ashamed of this obsession. I really dont care if anyone knows. It is just a part of who I am ( I know that it is not normal!) However I dont go around anouncing that I have this obsession.
I figured that I couldnt be the only person in the world who does this, but seeing just how many people there are that have this same strange obsession makes me feel a little less weird!
PS- I was picking the whole time I was reading through all of these posts and I am going to continue to read on and pick on!

[weasley]

I do this too! I even collect the scabs. Euuuuuuuch. I don't know how to stop this awful habit. Head and shoulders shampoo doesn't help, on the contrary, it makes my scalp even dryer and more tempting to pick

[Kathy919]

I started picking my scalp around age 10 - I am 22 now - and never knew until today that there were others like me!  I have never been diagnosed with depression, but I'm a nervous person in general so it wouldn't surprise me at all if I had a mild form of anxiety disorder.  It really amazes me that I can be picking my scalp and not even notice it.  It's a gross habit because I do a lot of picking while I lay in bed before falling asleep, and my sheets and pillowcases get dandruff all over them.  :(  The other major time I get the urge to pick is while looking in the bathroom mirror.

I completely relate to what others have said about a trance-like state that occurs while doing this.  I remember my mom and grandma yelling at me for it as a kid, but I really couldn't stop.  

Has anyone had any success quitting this habit without drugs?  I have found it helps to keep my nails short, or to paint them so that I don't want to mess them up.  I have been able to stop for periods of a few months, but always start up again, usually after or during a particularly stressful event.  I really want to stop this, not just for myself, but because now I am seriously grossing out my husband!