QUESTION:
Dear Dr. Heller,
Should my daughter be on Zoloft? My daughter is 6 years old and I took her to the Dr. the other day because I had totally had it with her constantly picking at her bug bites. It wouldn't have bothered me so much if she didn't have some on her head, but she is getting bald spots from so much picking! I took her to the Dr. because I thought that maybe she had something wrong with her skin, but she's twirled her hair ever since she was about 2. Well , her Dr. appointment lasted about 5 minutes and I was told it was an OCD, and to start her on 25 mg of Zoloft.
I REALLY don't want to have her taking that for who knows how long. I want her to be the happy kid she is now, w/o drugs. I just want her to stop picking! I have tried putting mittens on her at bedtime, but she cant wear them all day!
What should I do???
ANSWER:
You need to find out more about OCD and these medications. It appears the doctor is doing the right thing, although getting a second opinion is always a reasonable thing to do. Your fears may cause your daughter's condition to worsen - children pick up on that. Dr. Judith Rappaport at NIMH wrote the book "The Boy Who Couldn't Stop Washing" about the OCD. You should read it.
