If you have noticed that your child pulls out their hair, maybe without noticing or even in their sleep, then
they may have trichotillomania. This is a big word but please don’t panic.
*If you have come to this page without ever having heard of trichotillomania it is basically the impulsive pulling of one’s own hair, from any area of the body. Please see this article or this site for more info.*
Will Your Child Recover?
The good news is that the younger your child starts pulling out their hair, the more likely it is that they will just grow out of it. However, if you feel it may be a problem or that it is persisting for a long time please visit a doctor for an official diagnosis.
Even if this is something your child does not grow out of on their own, you can work with them to help them deal with this and to let them know that they are not alone.
What Can You Do To Help?
*It is very important for any child who pulls their own hair that they have supportive parents.*
If the child is very young, he or she may not even know or care about what they are doing. But children with trichotillomania may soon find that other children notice their condition, especially if it results in bald patches.
Please do not tell your child off for pulling their hair. Instead be honest with them, and let them know you understand that it is not something they have control over.
There are a number of other ways you can help your child: keep them busy with activities that distract them from pulling, asking them to wear gloves if they pull hair in their sleep, letting them talk about any stress and problems that may lead them to pull, providing them will a healthy diet to reduce compulsions to pull and so on.
This post is an introduction to how you may help your child who has trichotillomania. For more advice please check this blog often, and subscribe here. You can also visit related sites for in depth information about trichotillomania:
An article on children with Trichotillomania
Advice for parents of small children
Trichotillomania Learning Center
How to help others with trichotillomania
Do you think your child has trichotillomania? Please contact me if you just want some personal advice about how I wish I had been treated as a child, or if you have any advice of your own.
Personal advise concerning my 7 year old daughter. Please respond.
How is your daughter doing with the hair pulling? My son started when he was 8 and he is now 10 and is still doing it. Poor babies. Please let me know if you have found anything that helps. Thank you.
Yes, Please share anything that you found helpful. As a toddler he use to twirl his hair and mine at bed time. I guess it was his way of relaxing. Heck, I even twirl mine when I drive the car and I am 41. He has just recently started to pull his eye lashes out but it seems to be getting worse. He is very active in sports and has plenty to do so I do not think he is bored. What can we do to help him?
i have the same problem && im almost 15.
I started pulling my hair && my eye lashes, && dr’s say its just stress && stuff.
but im not stressed or bored.
Marie…your situation sound very similar to mine. My son has been a hair twirler since he was a toddler…he is 10 now. He twirls my hair as well. I don’t think he pulls from the eyes though. I just noticed he has a bald spot. Also very active in sports….and after showing him a picture of the back of his head he was devastated. I don’t think he realizes he is doing it, so I don’t know how to make him stop.
Help…….
Sorry I took so long to reply to your comment. I have to say that unfortunately telling him those things probably won’t help, simply because he can’t control it well. The good news is that in many cases young children have been known to grow out of trich. If you visit the doctor then the doctor may not have ecen heard of the condition, though if they have they might be able to help.
I think you should just try to be there for him. Telling him not to do it won’t help, but certain practical measures could. So for example you can put vaseline on the eyelashes to make them slippery so he can’t get a grip on them and pull them, or he could wear gloves at certain times of the day. Or you should find other ways to keep his hands busy, and keeping hands busy is often the best way of stopping it from happening.
In many cases diet will have a big effect on pulling hair or eyelashes, and there is more info here:http://www.geocities.com/~modularforms/trich/ideas.html#diet
Feel free to email me again if you have more questions. I hope there’s something you can do to help your son
Hello,
Please can you reply as im worried my 2 year old keeps pulling large bits of her hair out annd eating it. How do i get this to stop?
thanks
Natalie – I’m so sorry I didn’t reply. It’s important you get her to stop the eating part because that can do harm (pulling itself doesn’t harm the health). I would try things like keeping her hands busy, making her wear gloves at night (if she pulls at night). I don’t know what the best way to teach her to stop eating it would be, though. Try to visit a doctor, I really hope you can find one who knows about the condition and that your daughter gets better. The good news is that at that age children often grow out of it quickly.
i have a daughter aged nearly 2 in the same situation,she pulls her hair whilst eating it an suking her thumb,ive only noticed it in the the last couple of weeks and now has bold paches.do you no what halm eating hair does?
i Know how you feel my name is Janice my daughter is doing to same thing shes 4 and she pulls out her hair and puts it in her mouth. What i did was search this and i found all the symtoms she has it all leads up to Trichotillomania which means impulsive hair pulling action. I have been talking my daughter to therape and she has stopped pulling out her hair now she hair a full head of hair.
Please try this it worked for me why shouldnt it work for your daughter.
Sincerly Janice
Janice , Im so happy to hear that theropy is working for child . I have a 4 year old , beautiful little girl . Our Pediatrician has been telling me for a while that she willl , in time stop . Well , now like you he is now refering me to a mental heath center . I , myself suffer from depression . I feel so guilty , as ifn , maybe this
has come from me some how . I do feel some relief , in that you saying that your child has stopped and now has a beautiful head of hair . My question to you is did you have a hard time taking your child , who is so young , to counseling for this .? I guess what Im trying to say is thatI am having a very hard time with all of this and Im scared that she will be in some kind of theropy for the rest of her life . What do I do ?
well yes,
it was hard taking my little girl to cousling and watching her suffer from TTM
but shes so much better now her hairs beautiful. I also suffer from depression so does my mother and grandmother i feel horrible i probaly gave her this problem but times have been getting better keep trying and stay strong my dear friend thank you very much.
Sincerly, Janice
Janice´s last [type] ..Turning OnTrich Into A More Helpful Resource For Trichsters And Family
I noticed your post, I have gone to so many doctors about my 2 year old pulling out her hair and eating it, I was wondering if you did anything that has helped??? I’ve pretty much been dismissed since she was four months old. Tomorrow I cut it all off in hopes that will no longer pull or more importantly eat her hair.
My almost 4 year old twists and knots her hair. I’m also thinking of cutting it in hopes she will stop but I’m doubtful. Did it work for your daughter?
Natalie,
I would like to share some experience with you as well. I as a child used to pull my hair out and eat it. My parents thought I was dying of cancer and took me to numerous doctors. Not the case at all…This was back before Trich became a “known” disease and all they could do was shave my hair. (keep in mind I am a female) looking back at all my baby pictures, I am upset with them for doing what they did, but they didn’t know any better. Now as a parent myself, my son pulls his hair and eats it. We have shaved his head to prevent him from pulling and eating but he just found other ways to get hair (out of my hair brush, off the floor and sometimes in public places) Please be patient with your child, encourage him/her to not do it and keep him/her busy. I used sillybanz with my son and every day he didn’t pull hair out he got a new one. I also told him that when he feels like pulling or eating to play with the sillybanz that he got for not pulling. I know it is hard, especially seeing the bald spots but they will and can grow out of it if the proper encouragement is received. Good luck to you are your child!
My Daughter recently showed me a hair ball she had collected down the side of her bed which she said was her hair she had been pulling out. Not a huge amount and I have never noticed any bold patches at all. I sat down and explained she shouldnt pull her hair out and she said a girl had told her she had horrible hair and that she should pull it out? I assume she has been pulling it at night whilst tired and led in bed. Any advice?
Claire – That’s so sad a girl told her she should pull it out. I am hoping that she was pulling it out because of what the girl said, rather than doing it compulsively. I think first you need to make sure she doesn’t feel bad about what the girl said, then see if she manages to stop or if it’s become a “habit”. If she does it in her sleep without realising, gloves may help. But being there for her and talking calmly about it will really help too (rather than telling her off). If it is still a problem then I would take her to see a doctor but of course you may have to try a few before you find one who knows about the condition.
my daughter pulls her hair during nap time and she has started biting her nails too….am really tensed about it …do u have any suggestions what is it and how to control it??
thank you
My daughter is 11 and I recently noticed a bald spot on the crown of her head along her part. She said she was pulling out her hair but she didn’t know why but that she noticed the bald spot and had stopped. I told her it was good that she stopped and that it would grow back, and not to do it anymore. Her teachers have mentioned that she is doing it in class and eating the hair and mentioned that she might have trichotillomania. I am very concerned about her. Her teachers were more concerned than I had been initially, some of them even crying in the conference which has obviously made me sick with worry. I didn’t think there was any cause for alarm but after meeting with her teachers I am so concerned because they think this is a sign of some serious pain she might be suffering inside. I thought she was a happy, healthy kid. I have made an appt with a psychologist but it is not for 3 weeks. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
well i have some advice,
Not trying to sound rude but, TTM doesnt mean your child isnt health i myself am going through TTM if you have any questions i am willing to tell you about the feelings and everything. but just so you should know i havent been doing it for 5 months i wont lie but its tough i think you should get her a happy face ball ( really any colourful ball) and when ever she does it like a time she usally does it at she can get the ball and squezze it as hard as she wants to pull her hair it helped for me i stopped getting the urges after a month now am getting better and my hair is growing back but trust me she will coem around TTM is usally janetic it comes from a family that has Depression and anzietiy like my mother and father i was 12 when i did it around May and now feel alot happier and healthier please please take time to talk with her and make her feel special like going out for lunch or getting her nails done but just being with her is what she needs and some kids just want to talk so i hope your daughter gets better and send her my best thank you
Sincerly, Ashley
Ashley´s last [type] ..Turning OnTrich Into A More Helpful Resource For Trichsters And Family
My 3 year old autistic daughter has been pulling and eating her hair out obsessively over the past 2 weeks. So much that she is completely bald on the sides and front of her head. She will not keep any gloves on her head and I have been avoiding shaving her head completely. Is there anything I can put on her hair (taste) that would keep her from wanting to eat it?
My daughter has trich and was diagnosed about two years ago. She, like many others, denies the pulling when asked or confronted. She was taking meds and seeing a psychologist and psychiatrist. They had never treated anyone with it before. It was something new to all of us. I in the other hand decided to do a lot of research on it. I decided to stop her meds and visits to the psychs.
She had gotten to the point of having pulled out 50+% off of her hair and had started to ingest it. They diagnosed her with depression (due to the cruelty of other 6 year olds making fun of her), ADHD, and anxiety. She had insomnia some nights, sleep walked others, she was easily awakened, and she pulled her hair in her sleep too. She bites her nails and skin around her nails too.
She hasn’t been pulling for several months after relapsing a few months ago. Starting a new school year made her relapse. I expected it and insisted she wear hats or beanies so the urge would be held back. She insisted she didn’t want it. I let her make her own decisions and don’t pressure her to do what I want from her. She is smart enough to realize when she needs these preventive measures.
She had decided to shave off her hair after pulling most of it out. She would wear caps and with our motivation and affirmation that she was beautiful with and without hair she decided to not wear them anymore. I have her wear beanies while sleeping and throughout the whole day. I have made her more active and have her do many more things to tire her out so she can sleep more at night. I have spent hours with her doing homework. Made her realize that it was only a phase and that she could keep getting her A+ grades without my help as before. I have her play with pens or pencils, keep her hands busy with stress balls or anything she can play with while studying or doing homework. I have asked the teachers, principals, and counselors to help her cope too. Principal has allowed her to take caps. Teachers have allowed her get up once in a while, help out in class, have objects in her hands while testing, or reading. Counselor has talked to classmates about bullying. I have taught my daughter to inform the students of what she has because the main reason these children make fun of them is because they are not informed of what she does have.
Having a child go through this also puts a toll in the family life. Parents become stressed and worried. Make sure to have time to yourself. Have time with your significant other. Talk about it and clear up misunderstandings and misconceptions of what is going on. Search for the answer of your questions together. Have husbands help out more or other relatives help. Talk to the other siblings about the problem.
I am a 29 year old mother of two girls (5 and 9). Have been married for 10 years. I am a full time manager, full time student, mother, daughter, and sister. My husband works full time and sometimes is out of town. It can be difficult at times but I know that what helps me to cope with it is having friends I can talk to. I can tell them about the accomplishments we’ve had and celebrate and I can tell them about the down falls and goals I want to accomplish. This is what I want my daughter to learn, that even though she sometimes relapses she can make a new goal and accomplish it.
If you have trich and your parents don’t know it or don’t understand, It is very important to inform them, talk to them, do the research for them. Tell them how you feel and what you need from them. Do not play guessing games with them, not everyone is well informed about it.
Maria – I hope your daughter manages to sort this out.
I was unaware of this problem until today – when a daughter of my wife’s co-worker came into the room and I noticed balding.
As a note, when I studied psychology with a pair of social psychologist, a research we performed was on cognitive dissonance. Basically (and you probably already know this given your experiences) it is that a person lives in two or more worlds; there is a disconnect between what a person percieves the world to be, and what others (the overwhelming influence) around them behave as though the world is like.
For example, I may see the world as an intrinsically free place, yet the main influencers in my life say that I must not be free, as it is wrong to think that way; they will then act to ensure that I see the world as they do. In doing so I will have a choice – to either change something (move away, adapt, etc.) or suffer (maybe pulling out hair) … or possibly be excluded by the ‘prevailing wisdom’.
Since then, the game has been to identify the dissonance and see how to bring greater harmony between a person, their beliefs, and the world they live in. Clearly there are many solutions, some better than others, but any movement forward is a godsend and an advantage.
Good luck!
Thank you! My daughter is doing great. She is a very bright beautiful girl who is coping quite well. She hasn’t been pulling much. She did do it while final exams in school, but not as bad as before. She decides when to or not to wear her caps or use her hair lose or straightened.
I have noticed that her main problem is not knowing what to do with her hands when she has nothing else to do or under stress. I have been doing CBT with her on my own. It has worked wonders. A psychology minor does help in every day life.
Yes but i’m not sure that would apply to all, my daughter has been pulling out hair since she was 4 months and now two years old she is still pulling and eating her hair
Any advice or help would be appreciated! My daughter just turned 3. Right after her 3rd birthday she began pulling her hair out again…but its different this time. She started pulling when she was 18 months old. She would pull when she got angry or in trouble and would pull it out by the handfulls, she was almost completely bald. After 6 months of ignoring her hair pulling and keeping her hair cut short she stopped. I also forgot to mention that even before the hair pulling this starting with eating hair she found, then eating her hair she pulled. Now out of nowhere she began pulling again but not for the same reasons. She doesn’t even seem to know she is doing it unless i point it out to her. She twirls her hair (a habit that i have as well) but once she tangles it around her finger she pulls it out and puts in her mouth. It seems like she likes to run it around her tongue and swirl it around in her mouth and then eats it and i find later when she uses the potty. Sometimes I have to literally pull the hair out. When I talk to her about it she knows that is not good to do this and says she is sorry. I have tried scolding, rewarding, ignoring, nothing is working, plus she goes to daycare and is doing it there. I don’t know if i should be having them give her treats for NOT pulling, like I do at home. Then I feel like I am having her singled out. Her doctor just suggests to reward her for not doing it. She has already been to 2 child psychologists and was diagnosed with Trich and being a strong willed child. I really need some suggestions on how to help keeping her from pulling and especially eating! It’s hard when shes only 3 and has such a short attention span.
hi i am a 15 year old girl and i pull out my hair…. i don’t really know how it started, but it started last year, around the time i was getting in huge trouble for almost everything i did, which forced me to leave home for 6 weeks. i was really stressed out then, maybe that’s why i started.
but i think it’s fun to pull out my hair and look at the roots and i don’t know why. hair stylists always tell me my hair is very thick (which is good), but i have noticed recently that tons of my hair fall out in the shower and that when i feel my hair, the volume has greatly decreased.
what should i do?
i don’t eat my hair or anything, ew…. but i don’t think i have trichotillomania, it might just be a bad habit.
hi im ashley
i dont belive you have TTM and its not grosse to eat your hair its a habit a deasise you cant help it okay!
and my mom is going through the same thing she used to have very thick hair but now its gotten very thin and shes 34 and its not a bad habit its just something that happens in the shower shes taking hair and nail pills and it strenthins her nairs and hair her hair is much thicker now and her nails were weak before and now are strong i think you should try it. it might work very well for you!!!! Thank you very much
Sincerly, Ashleyb
Ashley´s last [type] ..Turning OnTrich Into A More Helpful Resource For Trichsters And Family
I am 21 years old and have been pulling since I was ten. When it became known to my family, my dad yelled at me and told me to just stop. I was a perfectly happy kid, no emotional problems, but the pain I dealt with because of the trichotillomania caused me to be depressed and unhappy. Most therapists and doctors don’t know what it is and are of no use. I have tried every trick in the book to stop and all is does is stress me out more. I am married and have a child now, I accept my condition for what it is and cut my hair off. I wear wig and live a perfectly normal life. As a child it is hard because children are cruel and you are treated terribly, but when you grow up and start your life without all of that, it is just something about you; it no longer defines you.
My name is stephanie. I am 21 years old & i have been pulling since i was 7. I had to shave my head several times. i now wear a wig… i hate it.. I just wish that i could find a cure for this.. It makes 14 years next month that i have been having trich. And that is true you do get miss treated in your child hood with this condition. I pray that we can all just get rid of this..
Thank you so very much for this site. I had not realized this was such a familiar problem to some. I have been going crazy for the past year trying to figure out what to do with my daughter. She is 2 years old and compulsively pulls and eats her hair. It has got to the point that I have shaved her head several times just to delay the pulling and allow the bald patches to fill in. It breaks my heart but I know she doesn’t realize what she is doing. I pray she will grow out of it but until then I will try the many wonderful suggestions everyone has. Thank you again.
Hi, I’m 13. I started pulling my hair when I was 7 then I stopped and I just continued this summer. I don’t know why but I can’t stop myself. Please Help me.
until tonight i thought that i was just insane or something for doing this.. im 11 and i really am excited that im not the only person in the world tht does this.. i plan on telling my mom soon… I really would like to stop this.. trich thing and if anybody has any tips please help me
i’d also like to add to my post that i probably also have insomnia and my father passed away when i just turned 7 years old and i am almost 12 and i am constantly stressed with homework, soccer, track and just everything.. and i try not to do it around friends but sometimes a i cant help it. and if anybody else has the same situation please help me
My 2 1/2 year old son has been pulling his hair out but the chunks. He has never really had a lot of hair and now that it has been coming in he has been pulling it out. I dont know what to do, He looks at me and says ouch my head but he wont stop. I am so confused i was told by my parents its because i dont give him a bath everyday, but thats not it i have tried different shampoos even putting lotion and aloe spray in his hair to see if that helped. Nothing, Does anyone have any ideas what i can do. I dont yell at him or punish him i tell him al the time its bad and that he shouldnt do it. He only does it at night, is the weird? If you can please help me i would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you.
I am very worried about my 14 month old daughter, I’m hoping my habits haven’t rubbed off on her. I’m 33 and have been twirling, snapping, biting my hair since I was a child. It drives my mother and husband nuts and I have no control, I’m usually zoned out while doing it and it keeps me relaxed. I’ve noticed my daughter plays with her hair now and when I’m rocking her to sleep for her nap, I’ve noticed she pulls at her eyelashes and they come out. I don’t know what to do, i rock her to sleep for nap time just so I can make sure she doesn’t pull them all out.
My daughter is 15 months old and is ALWAYS pulling her hair out — just on her right side of her head. I have now noticed it really starting to look bald. Its freaking me out! What are the chances this will stop or go away??
My almost 2year old started pulling her hair about 4 months ago, only at night when she’s falling asleep she twirls her pacifier in her hair, then she wanted the pacifier all the time so I took it away since she started doing it in the daytime as well. It seemed that she stopped for awhile but tonight she did it again, the pacifier was full of hair. I’m thinking of shaving her head if it worked for someone please let me know
Hi when I was 7 my grandfather passed away I started puling my hair out.I did my eyelashes legs arms eyebrows and it got so bad that I had a bald patch at the front of my head.I think it was a strange way of coping with my grandfathers death.It took me a very long time of getting over this habit and it wasn’t my family that stopped me from doing it.I realized I myself had to be ready to stop and even though my family was very worried and stuff it was me in the end that finally stopped myself from doing it.I am now 15 and haven’t been pulling my hair out for a couple of years now.I have also got a worrying problem which also developed from my grandfathers death but I am also learning to cope with that.I hope that all people and their family’s that have this problem do eventually find a way to get better.
Chantelle´s last [type] ..Sneak Peek: Glee "Yes/No"
Hi, a friend of mine is 18, and he has a problem where he will be pulling his hair out without realizing it… he’s been doing this since he was in 6th grade…. any suggestions on how to break, i think, this habit? He does in subconsciously, he was doing it for almost 20 minutes without realizing it… Any suggestions are appreciated..
Hi Im A child minder and Have a girl who is 10 i noticed a few months ago her hair becoming very thin around the front of her hairline so kept my eye on her only to realise she was pulling her hair out and putting it in her mouth whether she eats it I have no Idea then after me trying to get her to stop doing it she moved onto the eyebrows then she seemed to stop for a while only to return this morning with no eyebrows when I asked her what was happening she said she had face paints on and they burned them of…. very good fabricated Story which I never bought she cam in from school and we sat down to do homework for her to tell me she pulled them all out but doesnt know why??? question is how do I broach the subject with her dad her mum passed away while she was a baby