Depression, ADD, ADHD or all?

Question

I went to a physciatrist (shrink) recently and he said I have depression and he put me on Wellbutrin XL. I also explained that I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was young and I think I still have it - he said the medicine may help that. But I have this habit of tearing skin off my fingers (they feel rough so I want to take it off to smooth it out better) is that part of depression or the ADHD? Or something else. I want to stop.

Answer 1

How long has your self-destructive habit been going on? Has it been like this since you started taking Wellbutrin or before? If it has been going on since you started taking Wellbutrin, call your doctor ASAP and tell him about it. He may want to switch you to some other medication. If it has been going on before the Wellbutrin, and you have been on Wellbutrin for a while, you may ask your doctor if there is another medication that will help you with this problem.

What you are doing is similar to what a "cutter" does. A "cutter" will slice his/her own skin with something sharp (knife, razor blade) as a psychological attempt to get rid of the "emotional pain" he/she is feeling. If the cutter is feeling physical pain (slicing him/herself), then it takes the place of the emotional pain the person is feeling--acts as a kind of outlet for it. So, I would not say that it is ADHD related.

Who diagnosed you with ADHD? You may want to be tested again (by a different physician), as sometimes, physicians wrongly diagnosed children with ADHD (parents would want drugs in order to help "control" the child better).

I hope this helps. Something else which may "help" your rough hands is hand lotion at night, with white cotton gloves on while you sleep. (Trust me, this makes your hands feel all nice and soft!) Look into getting a manicure, too. I do feel that your tearing the skin off your hands is a psychological issue, but I think that if your hands look and feel nicer, you may resist the self-destructive urge better. (It works with biting fingernails--if the hands look nice, you are more apt to not bite the fingernails, because then they will look ugly again!)

Take care of yourself!!

Answer 2

I have seen many people with AD/HD pick their skin. Often, I have seen this with people with AD/HD who also have anxiety, depression or OCD (or a combination of all).

If your skin habit began after you started the Wellbutrin, you should tell your doctor about this. If it started before that, you should still tell him/her, but my guess is that it is part of the ADD/depression. People with ADD tend to pick or pull skin partly because it can be a stimulating and/or a calming activity.

Since this is happening while on Wellbutrin, your doctor may want to either change your med or the dosage- or add something to help with this behavior. It can be very hard to stop (I disagree with the person who said you can simply...stop).

There are cognitive behavioral therapists who can help with these kinds of behaviors, so you may want to consider that.

Your doctor is correct in that Wellbutrin can help AD/HD. It is often used for people who have a combination of depression and AD/HD.

Hope this helps-

Terry Matlen, ACSW

www.addconsults.com
www.myADDstore.com

Author: "Survival Tips for Women with AD/HD"

Answer 3

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Answer 4

Sounds like ADHD & OCD.My grandson is ADHD & he tears off his finger skin also.
My sister has OCD I can't stand anything rough feeling either.She uses handcream & face washes & creams by the gallon!

Answer 5

That is neither. That would be OCD. ADHD by the way does not go away so yes you still have it. If you are not treating it and it is a problem don't hesitate to ask your doc for meds for it.

Answer 6

First, get The ADD Book by Sears and Thompson.
Second, just because you are depressed does not mean you need to be on antidepressants. It means you need to find out why you are depressed and deal with it.
Third, you may have a nervous habit that you can stop yourself.

Answer 7

I think that's either ADHD or OCD