I have trichotillomania and I have been to therapy and I have used weights on my wrists to avoid lifting my arms, I have had people slap me each time I go to pull but nothing ever works..

Does anyone know a medication that would work?

One of tyhe boys at the residential I work at has this as well.. He is on something for OCD that helps since it is a compulsion

I've had it most of my life....isn't it the worst? Anyway, I'm on Celexa to help with the urges but really you need medication AND behavioural therapy with a psychotherapist to try to stop. It takes a LONG time and it is always there lurking in the back of your mind. Good luck.

My son has this (he's 8; it started at 4). We go day by day here. My heart breaks for him because he's at the age where kids might start making fun of him. He's been lucky so far. We just have to deal with all the "what happened to you?!" and "is he okay?" questions. I wish I could get people to understand that my son is not mentally disturbed!! The public is not educated on this disorder. Those who have it tend to stay pretty quiet about it. With my son, it's pretty much out there for everyone to see because his hair is short. We feel it's better to tell everyone we know that he has this so they won't be completely surprised to see missing hair. We've noticed that his friends are very kind to him--seems like they really don't even notice!
I tried to get a meeting with his teachers at the beginning of the school year for 2 weeks! I could feel my son's stress-level rising daily and I was hoping to prevent a pulling episode. Well, needless to say, we got the meeting... AFTER he pulled. Suddenly, everyone was very accommodating. Oh, I've lost a lot of sleep and cried many tears for him. I just hope it gets easier for him as he gets older and not harder.
He's been in therapy for the past year. We haven't seen much change. My son pulls only 2-3 times per year but he usually pulls big patches, including eyebrows and eyelashes...
Anyway, I'm just glad there's a place I can come now for support... Thanks for listening. :)

What is trichotillomania?

In a nutshell... hairpulling. Some people pull out their own hair. You can kind of compare it to nail biting. It's a compulsive behavior. Stress can make it worse. It's not serious; it just causes grief for those who suffer from it because of how others treat them.
Some with trichotillomania also eat the hair that they pull. My son doesn't do that. He pulls his hair on his head, eyebrows and eyelashes. He usually does it while watching t.v. or drifting off to sleep. It can be hereditary--my husband used to pull out tiny patches of hair when he was a coach. He also bites his nails.
Hope this brief explanation helped.
Julie :D

hey, ive had this disorder for maybe...six years now. it started when my mom pulled out a curly hair on my head...she called it a stress hair. after that i started pulling out hairs on my head that i considered "curly", then it turned to hair that were thick....then i just started pulling out hairs that i felt were ugly or something was wrong with. typically thick ones. i started getting a terrible bold stop on the very top of my head.

its terrible having to deal with all of the hair on the floors and in the cars. i leave hair everywhere. and i have long long long hair so its hard to deal with.

however, i found a "cure" for this disorder, but its a minimal cure to me. i realized that i started getting terrible split ends and breakage at the ends of my hair. now i just break off the damaged ends all the time. its about a couple centimeters instead of the whole hair. i think its a great alternative to the disorder although still bad and very addictive. i still pull out hairs although i dont do it as often.

i want to take medication for this disorder but im going to wait until i move out of the house. like most people, i dont like talking about this with others because it is embaressing to me and im ultrasensitive to the fact that i do it...even though i break the tips of my hair all the time in public nonstop. ugh.

im just glad that i realized im not the only one who does it.

i think the turning point for me when i realized just how awful it was was (dont laugh) on an episode of oprah i believe. these women actually had no hair. in fact they did it so much that their heads had blood spots from picking at the hairs that they didnt even have but wanted to pull out. ugh, it was awful.

when i was younger i realized i needed to stop and i would lay in bed WANTING to pull out some hair, but i would restrain myself no matter how hard it was. i did this for a couple days and it greatly decreased my urge to do it and thoughts to do it.

anyways, i hope this helped even though its not much help offered...maybe to me it just feels better to talk about and get it out of me. :)

Hi! wow i thought i was the only person who went through this!!! i hate it sooo much! :( ive been doing this to myself since i was in 4th grade now im 18... ive had the hardest time... people are so mean... i cry just thinking about this... i dropped out of school my freshmen year the year started out great i had really nice hair that was the first time i had actually stopped pulling it out but then i dont know i just started again and it got to the point to where i really couldnt hide my Bald spots no more! the way people would stare at me has me so Paranoid till this day! i have such low self asteem :confused: right now my hair is going ok... i still pull it at times... im not taking any treatment because i thought there was none untill i came across this site. ive never told no one this my family thinks it falls out on its own! my moms been there for me 100% shes tooken me everywhere. my mom thinks it has something to do with some neighbors we had, because a little after they moved next door is when i started 'LOOSING' my hair see they used to have a fungus on their feet, underarms and i used to go swimming with them and my mom says that they passed that fungus to me! my scalp gets really itchy and Irritated and thats when i start pulling so thats why i never thought there was a treatment for this!but now i pull just because its like a drug, im addicted!! my mom took me to doctors theyve never told me any thing helpful :confused: all they would give me were hormones all that did was make me gain ALOT of weight in one summer im guessing i gained 50lbs or more! so im ugly bald and fat :mad:

rite now im still having a hard time trying to cover up my 'DAMAGE' i wear fake hair i hate it... i hate it soo much...and ive never had a boyfriend and now i do im soo happy i love him soo much and thats why now more then ever i want to stop this... every day its the same thing get my hair put it in a pony tail and ad the fake one some times it easy sometimes i have a hard time. but every day i do it the same and i knew my boyfriend was going to ask why, eventually. and im rite he did! i didnt know wat to tell him so i just told him i dont like my hair down! if i dont accept myself why will someone else? im sorry i just went on and on, its just that i feel like you all are not judging me! so please any advice any thing... !!!HELP!!! and thank your for taking your time to read this :angel:

You poor thing! I worry my son will have problems with people as he gets older. First, I've found it helpful to educate yourself and others about this. There is so much info out on the internet.

You'll find this is a fairly "common" thing. I'm finding the more I discuss it with people, the more people I find who've experienced trichotillomania in some form or fashion. It's comparable to nail biting. AND, the itching your feeling is a common complaint from those with Trichotillomania.

I really believe you need to tell your family, friends and boyfriend about it. But, get all the facts first so that you can truly educate them. I can't tell you how they'll react, but you need to have those who love you ready to stand by you and support you through this. Keeping this a secret can only be adding stress to your life, which most definitely can't make the desire to pull any better.

Some people might not want to quit pulling. My son says he does, so he sees a counselor for it. You can do that in conjunction with OCD meds. You never know what might really help you to stop.

Good luck, sweetie. Please read up on it or even visit a doctor who's educated on Trichotillomania. Get as much info as you can. And please, please talk to your loved ones.

Julie

Thank you sooo much! all my life ive been made fun of and now i see there is HELP, not all people are the same!!! how can i tell this to ANYONE it isnt easy :confused: tonight im supposed to see my boyfriend and have a new hair style! whose going to want to be with a girl like me? :( im thinking of how to tell this to my mom. i know im going to tell her its just im not sure when... i hope i can do it soon because im sooooo sick of this... thanks again for taking your time to read my life story ha ha...

i know theres people out there that have it worse than i do, and i thank god im not missing a body part or have an incurable cancer, but all i wish is to have long beautiful hair be able to not have to worry, 'oh no! i wonder if my hair is going to look wierder(than other days) today!' if i have to be somewhere at a specific time i have to start getting ready like 2-3 hrs before because i might not be able to 'FIX' my hair, i want to just wake up and be able to leave like that! :nono: but no i cant. Thanks again

Alwayz,
Me :angel:

You know, my husband and I have been working with our son to:

1) Have something in his hands while he watches t.v. or falls asleep. It seems to help. We let him pick out toys that are stimulating to his hands/brain. Then he's supposed to use those ONLY when he's watching t.v. or sleeping.

2) Try to become more aware of the pulling episodes. Often times, he pulls and is totally unaware he's doing it.

3) Once he's aware, try to redirect his attention to the hair on his arms or legs.

These aren't a guarantee that he won't pull the hair on his head or face but have seemed to help. His problem, I feel, is that he keeps his negative emotions bottled up. We're working on getting him to discuss the "bad" stuff too. It's been tough but it's best for him. He also has a counselor who's tried various things.

I urge you to talk to everyone as soon as you can. Your mom will be there for you!!! Maybe print out some info for her to read once you talk to her. The more you understand about Trichotillomania, the more you'll realize there's nothing to be ashamed of. I know quite a few people who have it. There's a lot of people like you who just hide it.

Good luck and let us know how it goes with everyone, okay? :) Julie

Hi! i still havent mentioned it to nobody! :confused: see with me i can go weeks with out pulling but then one day i will start up again and ill pull what i didnt pull that whole time!! im trying my hardest, i really am! im going to get one of those stress ball thingys?! i hope it helps me out! thank you soooo much for all your advice it feels good to be able to talk to someone about it! i feel better... :) they say that OCD/trich... can be hereditary!? ive noticed my mom bites here nails alot, and shes been doing that for a long time. is that true? well as soon as i tell ANYONE ill let you know ... THANKS again

Alwayz,
Me :angel:

Yes, trichotillomania can be hereditary. Little did I know that my husband's "nervous habit" of pulling tiny bits of hair while he was coaching games was trichotillomania!!! I feel so bad because we all used to get on him about it. He was totally unaware of what he was doing. One day, he caught himself. He still bites his nails, though.
Good luck talking with you mom and everyone else. Since your mom seems to have OCD tendencies, maybe you could start with her because she might be able to relate better.
Sending a big hug to you!!!! :wave:

Julie

Tearz, obviously I don't know your bf so I can't predict how he will react when you tell him, but I can tell you that I was scared to death of telling my bf and we have been together for almost 6 years now. He was, and still is, very understanding of my problem and he is constantly trying to help me with it. There's a good chance that your bf will be just as understanding, and if he can't handle it, then you'll find someone better who can. Good luck.

Hi! :wave: well i kinda mentioned it to my mom! since she doesnt know english i looked it up in spanish for her and she read that little one sentence that pretty much explained Trich... she said nothing... shes still thinking about it(i know here). tomorrow or later today shes going to ask me more about it.

And as for my boyfriend your right frog... if he wont accept me like this i will find someone that will! but i still havent told him anything :confused: but hey i already told my mom, kinda, so thats a BIG step for me :)

I cant thank you all enough :D

Alwayz,
Me :angel:

Tearz,

Yea! I'm so proud of you! As a mother, I can say, I'm always glad when my kids come to me. My son has gotten so much better about expressing his feelings. He still pulls but I think learning how to open up to us has helped him a lot! He's a "pleaser" so he's really had to work at telling us the negative stuff he's feeling.

All I can say is do your best to explain it to your mom. She loves you and nothing will ever change that!!! Once you get her support, then you can work on the boyfriend. Good luck, sweetie!!! Keep up the good work.

Well guess what!! my mom has asked me NOTHING, she didnt really seem to care and thats not like her :confused: well i did bad, on saturday i pulled again i feel so bad when i do that i just want to stop i made a promise to myself that if i were to have 'NORMAL' hair that i would stop pulling but that seems like its never going to happen! (normal hair to me is having a full head of hair) but my dad bought me that SCALP MED and i hope that helps my hair grow some... and well if im not going to get support from anyone but myself then its ok i have to believe in myself!!! and im going to try hard, REALLY hard!!
And i still cant thank you enought Jules for listening to me... you might not think it but your helping me... :) see im a pleaser too... since i can NEVER please myself i always tend to put OTHERS before me. Hows your son doing? I hope hes good! :)

Thanks
Alwayz,
Me :angel:

I've had this since I was about 10 years old. I'm 37 now. Now I've got female pattern baldness on top of pulling it out myself! ARGH! So the natural hair falling out has made me stop pulling so much. I still do though. If I see a grey hair or an extra course one. I play this game where I try to only pull out hairs that were ready to fall out on their own any way. You know the those hairs, the ones that don't have the long root on them. So when I pull out one of those hairs I feel like it doesn't count because it was going to fall out anyway. Oh yes, I know it sound nuts, but it is a terrible compulsion to get a handle of. There is an overwhelming desire to pull them out. I too have plucked my eyebrows so thin, and I wish they were thicker, but I just can't help myself. I don't pull out my eyelashes, thank heavens!
I have heard that this "disease" is caused by the instictive "grooming" gene gone haywire. You know how cats instictively groom them selves, well like that but we have it too strongly.

Hi Tearz!

I'm sorry your mom hasn't opened up to you about it. Give her time. Some people just have a hard time discussing certain things.

My son is great! He pulled a couple of weeks ago. We stopped taking him to his counselor. I think we'll see if there's any change in his pulling habits. If he starts pulling more often, we'll take him to a psychiatrist. I don't want to medicate him, but I want him to be with someone who can offer more to him if needed.

If it bothers you that you pull your hair, then you're right.... you need to work on it for yourself and nobody else. I'm a pleaser too. As I've gotten older, I've realized that I'm never going to please everyone. In the process of trying, I'd only make myself miserable.

Anyway, hang in there and take care of yourself! :wave:

:wave: Hi Jules!!! How are you doing? well guess what?!


I told my boyfriend about my condition and hes still with me :D im so glad he knows! as for my mom she still hasnt asked me anything! :confused:
I got that SCALP MED i like how it works no difference yet... but im still pulling :mad: i better stop... i was using this one hair spray for a long time and now that im using another im pulling thats wierd!

Hows Your son doing, Jules? I hope hes good

Alwayz,
Me :angel:

Hey Tearz!!

I'm so glad your boyfriend is being supportive!! Sounds like a good guy! Give your mom time. She might actually be relieved to know you're okay and feels no need to discuss it. Everyone reacts differently to things.

My son is fine. We stopped taking him to his counselor to see how he does. I might get him to a psychiatrist who's office is closer to us -- he likes the comfort of having someone to talk to who isn't mom or dad. I think it's important to give him that if he needs it. He's been busy playing soccer and counting the days till summer. Talk about stress!! He hasn't really enjoyed school this year so hopefully next year will be great!

Thanks for the update and stay in touch! I'll keep you in my prayers...

Jules

julesjewels-
you made me cry when I read this. I'm 33 and suffer from this as well. I didn't start until I was 16 though. So I can only imagine. My heart is with you and mostly your son. And your right. Those who suffer are silent. I believe because of embarrassment. Being different from others.