Depression, ADD, ADHD or all?!
Question:
Depression, ADD, ADHD or all?
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.
Answers:
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!!