Hair Pulling....

Audiofuzzy

Audiofuzzy

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it is called TRICHOTILLOMANIA,

TRI-CHO-TILL-O-MANIA,

Welcome to the Trichotillomania Learning Center

and it is very emotionally draining.

I know a few people online who suffer from it, and thought maybe some of you
suffer from it not knowing your are not alone, or wonder about someone
whose hair, brows, eyelashes look "weird".

Well, you are not alone, or they are not, and it's nothing to be ashamed of.

Fuzzy
 
One of my younger daughter's friends in elementary school had that. I wasn't actually surprised as it is stress related and her mother was very high pressure.
 
Really? I noticed you said "had" - did she managed to somehow overcome this compulsion?
The way I know it, it is usually condition for life. It CAN be managed, tough.

Fuzzy
 
Audiofuzzy said:
Really? I noticed you said "had" - did she managed to somehow overcome this compulsion?
The way I know it, it is usually condition for life. It CAN be managed, tough.

Fuzzy
Click to expand...

No. I mean we are not in contact with that family. It is a past acquaintance.

I know she got psychiatric treatment and medication the same as for OCD.
 
Never known anyone with this condition...but have known someone who was a "cutter"....
 
Thanks Bottessini.

Rocky Robin - trich-sters hide their condition very well.
They are masters at camouflaging the bald patches.

You'd never know this woman got it, for instance:
(there is no caption, I'm afraid)

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IjGSjA9j1o]Obsessed - trichotillomania part 1 - YouTube[/ame]


So you may be around them without being aware of it.
Cutters- how very sad, too.


Lanapoo - wow. how do you know?
did they confide in you, or by looking at them?

Fuzzy
 
I know of some that pick at their skin, and chew on their nails til they bleed. Hair pullers I have seen one child do that before.
 
They confided in me. Both of them are my best friends from high school. One picks at her eyelashes and has to wear fake eyelashes all the time. It's a bit embarrassing for her because she gets weird looks from other people constantly. Another pulls her hair out and her hair is a bit thin now than it used to be. No bald patches yet. She doesn't pick at a particular spot.
 
I remember a TV special on this particular compulsion, it was quite enlightening. I can't remember the name of the program though. That was years ago.
 
I used to have that problem. At times, I still pull out strands here and there, but not as often or as much. I was taught to channel my compulsions elsewhere and so that's when I started going to the piano. If the time was not good for the piano, I would then just do "finger-crochet". (making a crochet chain using my right index finger as the crochet hook) I still have that chain somewhere packed up. It is close to 500 yards.

I have OCD and it is more in the areas for organization. I did this stuff mainly when I did not have my own household. I have found, since moving into MIL's house, I began to start it again. My mother recognized it and gave me some yarn and I am back to doing a chain. We did let my doctor know about this, but I had never seen a doctor about it while growing up. My parents always thought it was my nerves or the fact that I never felt like I fit in. I spoke to a therapist about it while in Missouri when I was finally diagnosed with my OCD.

I am not making light of this condition at all, and I know that it is different for each individual.
 
that's why my leg hairs disappear (and I do not shave my legs, don't see the point heh). My bro in law is the same way, picks at his leg hairs
 
I don't suffer from this condition, but I do get some sort of odd satisfaction at plucking my eyebrows.

Kristina- it sounds like you found a good solution. It's nice that your mom is so in tune with you that she recognized you were starting to have challenges again.
 
lanapoo said:
They confided in me. Both of them are my best friends from high school. One picks at her eyelashes and has to wear fake eyelashes all the time. It's a bit embarrassing for her because she gets weird looks from other people constantly. Another pulls her hair out and her hair is a bit thin now than it used to be. No bald patches yet. She doesn't pick at a particular spot.
Click to expand...

You must be a special person then because it is a huge deal for a hair puller
to confide in anyone.
Usually, they are so embarrassed and guilty of they hair pulling they are VERY tight lipped about it.
Because of that, usually they think they are the only ones in the world
with this condition.

I am impressed with you :)

Fuzzy
 
KristinaB said:
I used to have that problem. At times, I still pull out strands here and there, but not as often or as much. I was taught to channel my compulsions elsewhere and so that's when I started going to the piano. If the time was not good for the piano, I would then just do "finger-crochet". (making a crochet chain using my right index finger as the crochet hook) I still have that chain somewhere packed up. It is close to 500 yards.

I have OCD and it is more in the areas for organization. I did this stuff mainly when I did not have my own household. I have found, since moving into MIL's house, I began to start it again. My mother recognized it and gave me some yarn and I am back to doing a chain. We did let my doctor know about this, but I had never seen a doctor about it while growing up. My parents always thought it was my nerves or the fact that I never felt like I fit in. I spoke to a therapist about it while in Missouri when I was finally diagnosed with my OCD.

I am not making light of this condition at all, and I know that it is different for each individual.
Click to expand...

500 yd = 457.2 m

WOW that's long :shock:

but if it works, then it's great!
I will pass this idea to the friends with the trich I know if you don't mind?

I am glad you received help with your OCD.
A lot of people aren't even aware they have it, particularly if they have it in a mild form.

Fuzzy
 
Audiofuzzy said:
500 yd = 457.2 m

WOW that's long :shock:

but if it works, then it's great!
I will pass this idea to the friends with the trich I know if you don't mind?

I am glad you received help with your OCD.
A lot of people aren't even aware they have it, particularly if they have it in a mild form.

Fuzzy
Click to expand...

Feel free - I am totally proud of myself for finding alternatives to this. My daughter is beginning to start this as well, so we have her doing the same "chain thang" I do. It is also helping her. Don't know if she actually has the condition, but as I saw her starting to pull hair and we saw clumps on the floor, we knew it was time to get started on this. I think her is mostly due to stress and all of her LD's and such.
 
KristinaB said:
Feel free - I am totally proud of myself for finding alternatives to this. My daughter is beginning to start this as well, so we have her doing the same "chain thang" I do. It is also helping her. Don't know if she actually has the condition, but as I saw her starting to pull hair and we saw clumps on the floor, we knew it was time to get started on this. I think her is mostly due to stress and all of her LD's and such.
Click to expand...

Thank you!

From what I know about this condition, it can be genetic,
thus it is possible it can be hereditary as well.
So, you never know how it is with your daughter, but better safe than sorry, eh?


Also, I agree you are being very smart by taking care of it before it even have a chance to turn into something uncontrollable.
Trich can be triggered by stress, you are right, and better if your daughter is taught how to deal with stress in different ways than hair pulling,
before the habit sets well in, of course.


Fuzzy
 
I momentarily suffer from this problem when I read certain posters on AD. :)
 
Bottesini said:
One of my younger daughter's friends in elementary school had that. I wasn't actually surprised as it is stress related and her mother was very high pressure.
Click to expand...

my father high press heavy serious issues!
 
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