Agitated Depression and picking

I have never heard of this but I must suffer from it too. Although I do still experience periods of lethargy and idle. I really don't know what's wrong with me specifically, I have insomnia to a great degree sometimes I don't sleep till 3pm. I also only eat once a day because I find I have no appetite. All in all I'm a huge mess.

I can relate to the agitation, anger and outright losing it and whatever else, and I know Im depressed. .....but I dont pull my hair or pick. I have hit myself tho when its overwheming, because Im so angry at being and feeling it. Maybe if I get dementia, it would be possible for me to be more destructive as far as picking. Scares me now at the thought.
Many animals do it.....aggression outwardly and self destruction of pulling hair and chewing on areas is a symptom. Medications help as does change in environment, reactions of others, behaviour,
One thing I have never done is mindlessly pick, ever!....contrary what my doctors think.
If those things that develop in my skin as milia thingies heal, it would be good. I'm ignoring them now but some take forever to stop producing them, and voila....healing. I dont get it....can't ever get explanation on the physical except Im a psych case.

Rosegold, I experience a lack of appetite when severely anxious or depressed. Insomnia can occur due to anxiety also.
Snipzie, which medication helps you?

Hi serene...For depression I use Effexor XR....I'm on 75mg to take the edge off. I have ativan for severely anxious situations, although it takes about 3 hours to have any effect, and that's the sublingual. Sigh. I tried a few other antidepressants, but i feel best on effexor. Just enough to take the edge off......no weird side effects with it.

Does it also help your picking behavior? Have you ever tried an antipsychotic? I remember antipsychotics helping me, but didn't want to deal with adverse side effects after five years of taking them.

In truth, my picking behaviour and related anger and frustration is directly connected to how my skin heals and those freaking plugs and rubbery pieces that are produced and imbedded in there. They hurt, skin won't heal properly and hair follicles become inflamed as well. I do have milia and hyperplasia, some blackheads....so once I pick, most of the time it's a whole lot of hell in the reaction. I'm more obsessed with finding something topical that can stop the inflammation reaction process and heal things quickly. Left alone, they won't heal like normal sores or scratches.
I have depression, anxiety and related agitation, anger, etc because that's my hard-wiring. Therapy has helped, and the effexor takes the edge off.
No antidepressant will change or improve picking because i don't pick to soothe myself. I pick with the purpose to heal those beasts.
I've only been on Elavil in the past for pain.
I'm not needing to pick, but its sure helpful to get whatever is causing issues out from my skin and on with healing. Squeeze, Pick, done, heal is what most people do. I deal with my husbands head zits and ingrown hairs quickly....i have no need to keep picking. But absolutely there is huge satisfaction when everything is out. I'm in awe as to how big some plugs are, how long hairs become and how twisted and curled they are into the skin....but things heal quickly afterward, but that's not an obsession.
I would suggest that it's definitely worth for you to try an antidepressant. There are so many on the market, and many are new generation with less side effects with better results possibly. Some are geared more to anxiety where others are geared more for depression or both. Trial and error.
There is also cognitive behavioural therapy that will help intervene with thought process.

This is me. Totally and completely. It’s like I’m stuck in a vortex of either sleeping all the time or dissociative picking and as lof lately, I’m doing major damage again. It’s back like a vengeance. I stopped picking for years. Now I’m lost in it. And it feels like my body and brain and my nerves have this reaction once I start because my skin literally starts breaking out more and my pores open up and everything feels different like electricity. I know that’s weird but it’s like my body and brain have an instant reaction once I start picking— I think it’s from all of those years before when I picked at my skin. Our minds and bodies remember that trauma and I have a chemical reaction or something. I’m leaving new scars. I’m more depressed than ever. I hate myself. I feel like I’ve stepped back into hell.

Dragonita, why do you think you have recently been triggered back Into picking? What has changed in your life? Do you feel more stressed than usual or did anything negative occur in your life? Interesting how you were able to abstain from picking for such a long time and are now back to the habit. This has never happened to me...I think I've always steadily picked.