Hair Pullers?
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Join Date: May 2012
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Hair Pullers?
I have a disorder called trichotillomania. It means hair pulling. I pull hair out one by one when I'm stressed or bored. It is an obsessive compulsive disorder and I wondered if anyone else has this disorder and is there anything I can do to stop? I am also a compulsive overeater and an alcoholic.
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Hi Engel, I'm sorry to hear about this. My sister does the same thing, and my stepdaughter used to do the same thing.
I'm sure it must be frustrating and occasionally embarrassing. My sister would sit in an armchair with a book reading and pulling her hair. She ended up having bald patches on certain parts of her scalp.
My stepdaughter received counseling and does not do this anymore--at all. She has a beautiful, full head of hair, and I've never seen her so much as twirl her hair between her fingers.
I know there is hope!! Do you have access to counseling? If so, you might try making an appointment with a therapist who has some experience with trichotillomania.
I'm sure it must be frustrating and occasionally embarrassing. My sister would sit in an armchair with a book reading and pulling her hair. She ended up having bald patches on certain parts of her scalp.
My stepdaughter received counseling and does not do this anymore--at all. She has a beautiful, full head of hair, and I've never seen her so much as twirl her hair between her fingers.
I know there is hope!! Do you have access to counseling? If so, you might try making an appointment with a therapist who has some experience with trichotillomania.
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: Arizona
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I have the skin picking version of this "spectrum" of disorders. It can be addressed through therapy etc. I have also found that my recovery programs for other addictions help me with this as well. I "catch" myself, recognize what I am doing and make a choice to do something differently. It is trickier because unlike booze, food or drugs, which require me to go and get the stuff, picking is something that sort of happens unconsciously/automatically.
In the meantime, I have found that keeping something in my hands I can "fidget" with has helped curbed the skin picking etc. because my hands are messing with something else...I have found a few small manipulative gadgets that are perfect for this. I ALWAYS brought them to my therapy sessions, because talking could bring up lots of anxiety and it helped me say what I needed to say.
In the meantime, I have found that keeping something in my hands I can "fidget" with has helped curbed the skin picking etc. because my hands are messing with something else...I have found a few small manipulative gadgets that are perfect for this. I ALWAYS brought them to my therapy sessions, because talking could bring up lots of anxiety and it helped me say what I needed to say.
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Join Date: May 2012
Location: Melbourne
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I have always thought I was the only one. I don't 'pull my hair' at all but I have always scratched my scalp. It started when I was 12/13 and it was VERY noticeable.
I have pretty much done this continuously since, everywhere I went I would have a hand digging at my scalp. My scalp would often bleed and for days be covered with this oily substance. For me it has always been some sort of self harm pain/relief complex I am sure there is a dopamine release from it.
In a very similar vein I had a problem with getting tiny white ulcers on my toungue, I would bite these between my teeth so hard I would end up with a ringing in my ears.
I am positive these two actions were a form of self harm/relief, and after a medication change last year these two behaviors have virtually disappeared. Occasionaly I have caught myself doing one or the other but it is out of pure habit, I am able to stop it immediately - it is no longer compulsive at all.
I hope you can get out of this. for me a medication stopped it, but it was prescribed for something else altogether - just an added benefit!
I have pretty much done this continuously since, everywhere I went I would have a hand digging at my scalp. My scalp would often bleed and for days be covered with this oily substance. For me it has always been some sort of self harm pain/relief complex I am sure there is a dopamine release from it.
In a very similar vein I had a problem with getting tiny white ulcers on my toungue, I would bite these between my teeth so hard I would end up with a ringing in my ears.
I am positive these two actions were a form of self harm/relief, and after a medication change last year these two behaviors have virtually disappeared. Occasionaly I have caught myself doing one or the other but it is out of pure habit, I am able to stop it immediately - it is no longer compulsive at all.
I hope you can get out of this. for me a medication stopped it, but it was prescribed for something else altogether - just an added benefit!
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Join Date: Dec 2011
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Originally Posted by nolongerknow 
I have always thought I was the only one. I don't 'pull my hair' at all but I have always scratched my scalp.
Join Date: Aug 2011
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Hi Engel, I am familiar with trichotillomania. Throughout my years teaching, I've had 3 students who exhibited this behavior. Each were young at the time, grade school age. It manifested in pulling out of the eyelashes and eyebrows. I also had a parent of one of my students about 3 years ago confide that she was struggling with trichotillomania, and she had large bald patches. I have seen 2 of the students who are now young adults, and also the parent I mentioned and none of them currently exhibit the behavior and haven't for some time. I know 2 of those folks were involved in therapy. Just thought I would mention my experience, as it often helps to realize that this is more common than you might have known. You are not alone. Best to you in moving through this.
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Join Date: May 2012
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When and why do people pull?
While the underlying biology is not understood at this time, we do know that people with trichotillomania generally have a predisposition to pull their hair as a self-soothing mechanism...
It got worse for me during the anxiety and panic attacks that came with detox.
Some quotes from the trich site.
"A young woman comes to one of our offices. She is new in her career, just starting out. She is in graduate school and has this problem: she pulls out her hair. It happens when she is on the phone, when she watches television, but especially when she is writing papers. Sometimes the pulling gets so intense that she takes many more hours to complete her work than she would like. Not to mention, she is doing damage to her scalp that may prove permanent. "
"The young woman says she has been pulling out her hair since she was a teenager, for about ten years now. She has stopped at times, once for two-thirds of a year, but always started again. She has tried support groups and various other treatments, but with no consistent success. Now, she is ready to try what we offer: hypnosis.
Hypnosis. The word tends to get many strong reactions. It conveys mystery, magic, and the unknown to some. To others it conveys quackery, showmanship and nonsense."
I am going to try this hypnosis, if it can work for smoking (a habit + addiction) it can work for a plain habit I belive.
Hypnosis is NOT a fraud, it works on the "mind".
The basic problem with the medical model is that people take it literally rather than understanding it as the metaphor it is. The medical model portrays the mind as an object. It equates mind with brain and uses this assumption to justify defining certain thoughts, feelings, and behavior as medical diseases.
Wish me luck.
While the underlying biology is not understood at this time, we do know that people with trichotillomania generally have a predisposition to pull their hair as a self-soothing mechanism...
It got worse for me during the anxiety and panic attacks that came with detox.
Some quotes from the trich site.
"A young woman comes to one of our offices. She is new in her career, just starting out. She is in graduate school and has this problem: she pulls out her hair. It happens when she is on the phone, when she watches television, but especially when she is writing papers. Sometimes the pulling gets so intense that she takes many more hours to complete her work than she would like. Not to mention, she is doing damage to her scalp that may prove permanent. "
"The young woman says she has been pulling out her hair since she was a teenager, for about ten years now. She has stopped at times, once for two-thirds of a year, but always started again. She has tried support groups and various other treatments, but with no consistent success. Now, she is ready to try what we offer: hypnosis.
Hypnosis. The word tends to get many strong reactions. It conveys mystery, magic, and the unknown to some. To others it conveys quackery, showmanship and nonsense."
I am going to try this hypnosis, if it can work for smoking (a habit + addiction) it can work for a plain habit I belive.
Hypnosis is NOT a fraud, it works on the "mind".
The basic problem with the medical model is that people take it literally rather than understanding it as the metaphor it is. The medical model portrays the mind as an object. It equates mind with brain and uses this assumption to justify defining certain thoughts, feelings, and behavior as medical diseases.
Wish me luck.
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: Arizona
Posts: 3,680
Good luck and please share your results!
Hypnosis makes a lot of sense with this, I think, because it is so subconscious. I mean, I pick and pull without thinking about it, when I am stressed etc.
Unlike substance abuse where I have to choose to go get the stuff, my body is just there and my hands automatically start picking without me thinking about it or realizing it.
I have woken in my sleep picking at my skin or hair. I mean, it's like an itch. Sometimes it starts that way, I feel "itchy" and start scratching or picking and it just doesn't stop and then I realize I've damaged myself. ugh.
so it seems hypnosis might be a perfect approach.
Hypnosis makes a lot of sense with this, I think, because it is so subconscious. I mean, I pick and pull without thinking about it, when I am stressed etc.
Unlike substance abuse where I have to choose to go get the stuff, my body is just there and my hands automatically start picking without me thinking about it or realizing it.
I have woken in my sleep picking at my skin or hair. I mean, it's like an itch. Sometimes it starts that way, I feel "itchy" and start scratching or picking and it just doesn't stop and then I realize I've damaged myself. ugh.
so it seems hypnosis might be a perfect approach.
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