Antidepressant Drugs

Many drugs exist to treat the underlying psychological disorders that are behind Compulsive Skin Picking — such as impulse control disorder, self-injury, body dysmorphic disorder, or the granddaddy of them all — impulse control disorder:

• Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors — or MAOIs — are an aggressive, last resort drug treatment for persistent forms of depression
• Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs) have been prescribed for depression since the 1950s. There are over a dozen different types of TCAs in use today.
• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRIs) are also used to treat depression, but are particularly effective in treating the anxiety disorders associated with compulsive skin picking.

Natural compounds also exist to treat compulsive skin and finger picking:

• Hypericum — also known as St John’s Wort — can be used to treat mild forms of depression, though care must be taken to avoid dangerous combinations with some synthetic drugs listed above
• Amino Acids are naturally occurring chemicals in the body. Examples are melatonin, serotonin, and tyrosine (which causes the production of adrenaline in the body). Perhaps the most famous amino acid is Tryptophan — famous because warm turkey on thanksgiving is naturally full of the drug, putting us in a sleepy mood at just the right time during the holidays — when we’re full and ready for a nap

An interesting recent development is the clinical use of the drug Lamotrigine — normally used to treat Epilepsy an Bi-Polar Disorder — to treat compulsive behaviors like Compulsive Finger Picking.