Need Help!

I *believe* that it is a stress related disorder. I would take her to a doc for an evaluation and see what they have to say as far as treatment.

The only experience I've had with trichotillomania is that O. of my son's friend's younger brothers had it when he was about 2. They used to call him "The Fryer" because he would pull from the crown of his head until there was a bald spot in the center. He seems to have just outgrown it. I believe with counseling they can teach her how to redirect the urges to pull her hair. Good luck.

My sister had trichotillomania. She was severe though. She ended up going on medicine and getting counseling. She started about 13ish and is now almost 19. When she gets stressed/upset she still pulls a hair or two. I used to find her hairs all over after she visited. I pray that your daughter can find better ways to cope and i am so sorry. Feel free to message me if you need to talk. I know that my sister had a book on it also, i don't know if it helped though.

K., I too am a hair puller. I started in my junior year of high school and still pull today (I just turned 38 yesterday). It is a bizarre situation in that I know what I am doing and I hate that I'm doing it. Yet, I don't stop the pulling. I notice that the urge to pull is more intense around my monthly cycle. Maybe there is a connection with the hormones. I was always a perfectionist and I believe a lot of my "stress" response is related to that. I have not tried any medications or counseling, but have tried different techniques to keeping my hands busy (typing, cross-stitching, scrapbooking, etc.) I even wear hats when the urge gets strong to avoid putting my hands in my hair. I pray that God will help me see the real reason for my pulling and I hope through journaling that I'll see some connections. It appears that my worst times are when my hands aren't busy (like watching tv, reading a book, etc.). I have found some helpful websites on trich, and I'm considering a hypnosis option. My prayers are with you as you try to help your daughter through this disorder. It is a battle, but one worth fighting to find the source of her tension.

It is stress-related issue. I worked with some kids who suffered from it. It does NOT have to be debilitating, and can be helped with counseling and parent involvement. For instance, if you could figure out what her stressors are (what makes her do it THE MOST),help her work through those issues. Be involved, know what's happpening at school, outside, with friends, etc. She is still young enough that you can do that without making her upset with you (I hope!). It can become a habit as well, and even if she is not feeling any particular stress she may still pull without even realizing it.
Counseling and only if necessary maybe some anti-anxiety meds to help her on her way to getting a handle on it. I am not a big believer in meds for young kids, but if that will help then it's a good idea. She is getting to an age where a lot of different things will add pressure and stress, unfortunately being a kid these days is just not as easy as it used to be! With luck, the support of her family and some time with a licensed professional psychiatrist will work wonders!

PS- DO NOT make her feel "weird" or guilty, she cannot help what she does, even though it's hard to accept that!! She doesn't understand it any more than you do, so stay positive and be supportive, not critcal!! Good luck!

It seems you have alredy gotten alot of responses, but maybe this will add some help anyway. It may have already been said but this is not an uncommon disorder. It is related to stress and hormones (usually effecting girls). Most grow out of the disorder as they get older, but that partly depends on the treatment they get. Your daughter will need more support than criticism. Reminders to stop pulling her hair out may add more anxiety. Someone very close to me had this disorder and we found that there was alot of information available on the internet that seemed to offer her comfort and make her feel like she wasn't suffering alone. Many people can also begin pulling eyelashes, eyebrows, and leg hairs. This is treatable, but definately seek professional help to get to the root of her anxiety. Good luck and keep us posted!

Hi K.,

I had a family member that had this problem as a child. She used to pull all of the hair on the back of the head and just kept the front in tact (the area she could see). It was the result of stress due her parents divorce. It took some therapy and time, though she eventually did stop by the pre-teen years.

Signals and Redirection are good ways to handle this at home. It could be both at once as well, like walking over and handing her something when she is doing it. Redirection would be not to address the action, but have her do something that would involve her hands. You will want the signals to be something that the teacher can enforce as well.

I hope that whatever is bothering her can be resolved soon.

L. C

Yes K., and it is very common. My sister who is now 22 was not only a hair puller to make her scalp bleed, but she has tourettes. There are special counslers out there to help her. I will do some research for you.

Dear K.,
I am a teacher who had had a student with this condition. She explained the condition to the whole class and told us that with help and support, she had gotten it under control. If you like, I could try to contact her to see if she would like to talk with you. She is in college now, but she is a wonderful young lady and seems to have conquered this problem.
My sister also had this condition and pulled hair from the top of her head for years. She always had a stubble right in the centerback of the top of her head. In those days, my mother was told it was just a nervous condition. No one ever paid much attention to it, and she seemed to stop most of it later in her adult years. I am not sure if my sister's condition was mild, but she laughs about it now---she is in her 50's.

People laugh when I tell them what this disorder is called...and I laugh with them. I do this to my eyebrows and eye lashes. Sometimes I also pull the hair out on my head when it's in a ponytail. To me it feels like there's a hair "that hurts" and I have to keep pulling until I get it. Of course, I can never find that "one hair" and end up with bald spots. Anti-anxiety meds have helped me and letting people around me know about it helps to. My co-workers or husband will see me and point it out to me. A lot of times I don't even know I'm doing it. It's frustrating not being able to control it either. I know someone who's embarrassed about it because they were teased about it growing up. I try to educate people around me about it and explain to them why I do it so they can "be on my team" so to speak and help me realize when I'm doing it. Good luck. Do your own research on it because I've found that some doctors don't really even know what it is.

K.,

Although I am not going through this myself, I would suggest that you seek counseling for her if you have not done so already. If you don't know where to look, perhaps there is a school counselor that can be of help or direct you appropriately.

Continue to offer her LOVE and SUPPORT and do not make her feel badly about her disorder. Although it may seem very logical to just say "stop pulling your hair," to someone with a disorder it's never that easy. And, it may be difficult for you to understand since you do not have this tendency yourself. I would tell her that you love her and will be there to partner with her through any sort of treatment/counseling.

We all have our issues...and I think it's important for her to know that she is NOT ALONE or STRANGE....

Hope this helps. I wish you both well!

Hi K.,

Find you a good psychotherapist.

Call Northampton Mental Health/Mental Retardation Board at
###-###-#### for a recomendation.

Good luck. All the best. D.

My husband and I would call that a cry for positive attention, or acting out negative feelings. My advice would be to talk with her and see if there's anything particularly prevalent on her mind that would need addressing, like stress from her peers or something, or maybe there's something else on her mind that won't go away. Giving positive and guiding attention to your young one turns out to cure quite a few "disorders" from what I've seen in my experience. Hope this helps.