My daughter picks at her scabs. I have to keep bandaids on them and socks on her hands at home so she won't pick through the bandaid. It's getting worse though because now she is hurting herself. Last week while she was with my mom she picked up a piece of glass and cut her finger, on purpose. It was just a pinprick, but it could have been worse. Today she really messed up the pad of her pointed finger. She somehow (I don't get what she is saying while trying to explain how she did it) she picked the pad of her finger raw and down several layers of skin until it's a nice deep red color w/out actually bleeding. And again, she dd it on purpose. She said she wanted to give herself another owie to pick. I just don't know what to do. I did call and leave a message for a child psychologist. This can't be normal.
Bless her heart. This certainly does sound like a problem that shouldn't be ignored. I think you did the best thing by contacting a child psychologist. They'll certainly help you find answers and hopefully a solution to your problem. You and your little one will be in my prayers.
I'm sorry. This must be hard.
Please have your daughter examined and treated by a child psychiatrist or a psychologist.
I would ask her if she can feel the pain of doing it - hurting herself. Don't freak out on her or else she might start hiding her habit from you. You don't want to scare her. Yes, what she's doing is wrong - however - she doesn't realize this. Find out HOW it makes her feel so that when you get to the pediatrician or child psychologist you can tell him/her what you know.
Good luck!!
Follow through with her doctor.
Some links -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermatillomania
http://www.ocfoundation.org/uploadedFiles/MainContent/Fin...
Oh, I'm sorry to hear about your daughter's picking.
You are right to be concerned and to seek the input of a professional. It's important to rule out medical conditions.
On a personal note, my youngest daughter was severely burned on her hands when she was just a baby, about 1 yr. old. Her palms had 3rd degree burns. It was beyond horrible and required hospitalization and weeks of trips to the burn center. She developed a habit of picking her fingers down to the layers you describe. And I couldn't believe it did not hurt her. A therapist helped me understand that it did not hurt as much as the original burns.
On a positive note, I also learned that it is typically very bright and smart kids who will develop these odd little habits. She is now 10 and her fingers are not perfect, and during times of stress her picking starts back up. And when I notice it I spend a lot of time talking to her about her feelings, what is going well, what is frustrating. And then we pull out the pretty nail polishes and will paint pretty designs or patterns that she chooses. BTW, this is huge for me as I don't do my own nails. I'm not a nail person at all, but I do this for her.
I don't think this is normal and, IMO, you did the right thing calling a psychologist.
Good luck getting through this.
