Trichotillomania... - Hair Problems Message Board

cherry_x · 10-03-2007, 10:41 PM

Hi all,

I have a disorder called trichotillomania...in case you don't know what that is, it's basically a disorder when you pull out your hair under various conditions or when you are feeling various emotions.

I personally pull out my eyebrows. I do it when I feel stressed or anxious, and it started for me as a pre-teen when I watched a talk show and realized that my eyebrows were (in my opinion) waaaay too thick and ugly to be pretty. It turned into a comfort thing at some level.

Anyway, I was wondering if others on this board have or have had the same disorder and what they did to stop pulling out their hair. I've gotten rather self-conscious about the bare patches on my eyebrows (going as far as to fill them in with brown pencil), but I still can't seem to make myself stop!

Any suggestions?

Love,
cherry_x

Tahoe2 · 10-07-2007, 09:20 PM

Hi Cherry,

I too share your pain. This seems to be a form of OCD from what I understand. I do it with the hair on my head and I have done it since I was probably 7 or 8 years old (I'm now 31). I had pulled so much hair out when I was little that I had a bald spot about the size of a quarter. My parents teased me about it, and now years later they still do sometimes. They dont know I still do this now. Its very hard and embarrassing to talk about. Fortunatley I was blessed with a thick head of hair. I have tried talking to my husband about it but he says, "If you know you're doing it then just stop." It's just not that easy. I'm sure you would understand that. I also pick my skin almost every night and dig ingrown hairs out of my body. Recently I was reading that people have these problems because of low serotonin levels in the brain. I may try taking that. It couldn't hurt! Some days this really, really bothers me. I try not to let it, but I feel like I can't talk to my husband about it. I tend to be a pretty happy person, but an emotional one. I honestly think all of that ties in together. There are other options as far as treatment goes...behavioral therapy and such. It was nice to kind of "talk" to someone! Good luck to you! Try to stay positive...that's what keeps me going...and the fact that I'm a little bit vain

TAHOE2

Musical_Muse · 10-08-2007, 01:28 PM

Cherry,

I have had this frustrating problem since I was very little. In one family picture where I was looking up at my grandmother when I was about four years old, I can see a little bald patch on the crown of my head where I would pull my hair...and my mother confirmed that I did pull on my hair at that age.

Now 28 years old, I still pull my hair. I have read books and tried different things, but I still do it on occasion. It's the most irritating and embarrasing behavior that I still am unable to completely stop doing for the life of me

. Friends and coworkers that I have had over the years have noticed it, starting from when I was in late elementary/junior high school, though I have never told a single one what I do and what it's called. I have tried to cover it up, and I still have successfully managed to hide it, but it can be challenging sometimes. Fortunately, some of my other OCD-like behaviors have subsided over the years, so I'm happy about that, as I have learned to relax a lot more, so I think this has just happened naturally to some degree.

One book that I might recommend is Brain Lock. I don't remember the author's name, but I really enjoyed this book. There are also many others out there that are very good.

Have a great day and keep posting

.

~Colleen

louise35 · 10-26-2007, 05:35 PM

Hi..I have this problem..and have had since i was little..i'ts controling my life but i'm so embarrased about it i cant even utter the words to my partner of 19yrs, I have lost so much hair it's really noticable and i have to 'do' my hair every day in a certain way with half the worlds supply of hairspray to cover up.. i hear people commenting but just cant bring myself to do anything about it yet, I have heard of lucinda ellery and for those in the uk it's availabe on NHS in certain circumstaces

dont leave it as late as i have...I'll be right behind you when i pluck up the courage
louise x

harri84 · 10-29-2007, 10:53 AM

I have suffered with this problem too. i used to pull my armpit hair when i was smaller, and then when i was about 12 the hair on my out and then be convinced i was going bald because my hair was falling out, i still suffer with this problem now from time to time and i get very headsore but i try to not think about it, i have a rope that i tie into knotts and at one point i tried knitting.