Is there a name for someone who picks their scabs and eats them?

I believe it is considered a form of pica, which essentially describes any disorder in which the sufferer has a compulsion for eating things that are not food.

Here you go, this explains pica

Another important thing which I meant to ask is cited there. Have you been tested for anemia? “In some cases, a lack of certain nutrients, such as iron deficiency anemia and zinc deficiency, may trigger the unusual cravings. Pica may also occur in adults who crave a certain texture in their mouth.”

@Austinlad That isn’t fair. It is a compulsion. Most likely the sufferer has little or no control over the behavior.

Yeah, i was gonna say trichotillomania (an affliction that involves the methodic pulling of hairs and sometimes eating the root from the displaced hair), but yeah that sounds more relevent….dermatillomania.

@palerider trichotillomania is actually just the compulsive pulling out of one’s own hair. Trichophagia is when you eat it. I actually know someone who suffers from that, only reason I know.

@TheOnlyNeffie oh yeah, like people (especially pregnant women) eating caolin….clay/dirt.

pica..

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@ThatFreak I highly suggest you talk to your doctor about having some blood work done. I think it’s very important that you rule out a mineral deficiency that might be triggering these episodes for you.

I also think it would be a good idea to consider seeing a professional counselor that specializes in obsessive compulsive behavior. Best of luck to you.

@TheOnlyNeffie so, to sum it up and put it in doctor terms….dermaphagia? perhaps?

@palerider that sounds like a good guess, and I would be inclined to agree, but unfortunately I don’t think it is correct.
Dermatophagia is compulsive skin chewing – usually closely related to nail biting, people will chew off the skin on their fingertips. Most commonly, anyhow.

Don’t ask me how I know that one, stuff like this just sticks with me.

I would think that dermatophagia is a bit more closely related, although that’s the eating of healthy living skin, and not scabs. When you remove a scab there is pain involved, though some people find an euphoric feeling from self-caused pain due to the endorphins that are released in the brain.

Either way it is a type of OCD and if you have this yourself or someone you know then you might want to seek the help of a doctor.