POSTED BY: mspennylane
Do you pull your hair from any part of your body? Do you find it hard to stop? Is it even pleasurable for you to do so?
I do, and it is pleasurable and reassuring. Such actions can be highly embarrassing, but are all associated with a condition known as trichotillomania and you are not alone.
What is Trichotillomania
You may never have heard of this word or of this condition, and to be honest it is a pretty scary word. But it doesn’t need to be. A good start is knowing how to pronounce it. Basically the trich part is pronounced ‘trick’ and the rest is as you would expect (or [trik-uh-til-uh-mey-nee-uh] as the dictionary puts it).
Trichotillomania is often shorted to ‘trich‘, and those suffering with the condition are often referred to as ‘trichsters‘. This is a friendly way of putting it, showing that the condition isn’t as scary as it seemed as first, and there are many, many trichsters out there.
Definition
The dictionary above described trichotillomania as ‘a compulsion to pull out one’s hair’. This doesn’t convey the half of it. Some people would describe trich as ‘hell’ as ‘crazy’ as ‘stupid’ or ‘ugly’. It can be so hard to understand why it happens, which is why it is easy to get lost thinking in these ways.
But just because trich can be stupid, or trich can be ugly, doesn’t mean that you are. Often people won’t even notice that you have it, or if they do they won’t care. Trichotillomania is a condition, one that hundreds, thousands, millions of people share with you.
This is only a starting point for information about trich. There will be more information to follow, and a good place to go are also forums. See the links section. This blog is here to help, and to raise awareness. It is also here to help me, by learning about my own trich. If you have trich or know about trich, please get in touch!
I am Caitlyn I am 13, I started pulling my hair out during the summer of 2008. It embarissing at school because I have to hide it and I am to embaressed to tell my boyfriend. My mom doesint understand that I tried to stop in 7th but I couldn’t. She thinks trich is just a daily routine I do which it isint it is a obsession I can’t control. If i have a bald spot under my bangs which is easy to hide and the back of my head which is where the other one is. Luckily I can hide them pretty well so I won’t get made fun of at school as the bald girl. It is nice actually finding a blog about my issue and I can talk to other people with this problem.
Caitlyn,13
Texas
United States
Hi there i have had this condition since i was 11 years old,,,im now 38 no one would listen to me so i suffered in scilence,,, i now wear wigs and have not pulled for 6 months ..if anyone would like to talk to me im willing to listen so u dont have to suffer in scilence xx kath.
Hi… I have the same problem I started when I was around 10 and am now 13. I pull out my hair right behind my ears so I never ever put up my hair. I’ve tried to control myself but I keep doing it,.. I feel it helps me and relieves stress more then biting my nails. My mom has saw the bald spots and I told her I shaved my head right there://////.. Now I know that other people do it and it is actually diagnosed/ or it has a name.,,, I feel more comfortable telling my mom about it. I feel wierd when I do it and all alone,.. I’ve been researching it and it says I may née medication!!! Anyway Thats crazy
Hi iv just started to do a lil research about this coz some of my friends noticed it and said I had a problem/crazy! Iv been doing this since I can remember I think I was about 4 when I started pulling out my hair and eating it and now that I’m 25 I don’t pull it off my head as much anymore but Iv been biting it off my arm and I don’t know what to do about it I’m kinda embarrassed and never got any help for it what should I do??
Hi. I started pulling out my hair when I was 9 or 10,and I am 12 now. I started at my hairline, but luckly I can hide it by parting my hair to the side, but on windy days I get worried. Then about a year ago I started pulling on the side of my hair, above my ear, but that is easier to hide. My parents know I”m doing it because there is more hair around the house now. I always thought I was the only one doing this, but now that I’ve found this website I don’t feel alone. Thanks!
Maya´s last [type] ..Turning OnTrich Into A More Helpful Resource For Trichsters And Family
I am now 48 years old and have just recently heard that the problem i have suffered with for nearly 40 years has a name! I still pull out my hair but not to the degree of my teens and 20′s when i had bald patches and half eyebrows. Now i just continually touch my hair, single out strands, and occassionally pull a strand out. Its embarrassing and frustrating, i have hated this disorder ever since it started. I had troubled teen years and still today i am very anxious. I am a perfectionist, very successful in any job I take on but live a very sad and detatched life. I wish i had gone to a doctor 30 years ago and got help as now its all too late – i am approaching 50 and say to everyone – well i have had enough now, i am tired I am ready to finish my life. Thats so pathetic i know and selfish but i feel like i have lived my whole life inside myself so whats the difference. To all you young girls – please get help – dont do it alone, go to a professional for help and guidance so you dont end up like me