Anonymous wrote:I had it too as a teen and young adult, and it is basically OCD-related and is aggravated by stress or emotional distress. Definitely seek help...if your own pediatrician is dismissive, keep looking for one who takes you seriously.

I totally agree.

I had it too as a teen and young adult, and it is basically OCD-related and is aggravated by stress or emotional distress. Definitely seek help...if your own pediatrician is dismissive, keep looking for one who takes you seriously.

This is probably a stand-alone condition called Dermatillomania. I had it as a tween, teen and young adult. They think it may be related to dopamine and serotonin levels.

http://www.skinpick.com/skin-picking-children

Not saying it could never be co-morbid with something else like ADHD, but it's not a *symptom* of that. It's its own thing. A related condition has the sufferer plucking her own eyelashes and eyebrow hair.

Good luck!

Go to your pediatrician asap. could be ocd but could also be related conditions: adhd, asd, etc.

My 5 YO son has developed a habit over the past 6 months or so of picking at his arms, wrists, face, and anywhere else he idenfies any kind of scrape, bug bite. At first I thought it was standard little kids stuff where they pick and pick and pick at a bug bite and then once that bite goes away they leave it. But in his case he's examing his skin all the time for spots and just picking and picking at them. He literally has 2 bandaids on his face and 4 others on one of his arms today. I, of course, continually tell him to stop picking, keep nails trimmed, apply bandaids, but it's like the second that bandaid comes off he's back at it, or he just find another spot (usually a healed spot from an earlier pick) and goes at it.

Anyone have any experience with this? What can I do? Is this some kind of OCD thing?