Pick, Pluck, Pull.
Pick, Pluck, Pull.
Pick, Pluck, Pull.
These are the constant thoughts that haunt someone struggling with Trichotillomania (also known as TTM or “Trich“): the irresistible, repetitive urge to pull out the hair on one’s body, most commonly scalp hair, eyebrow hair, and eyelashes. Symptoms include:
•Reccurrent pulling of body hair, resulting in noticeable and sometimes irreversible hair loss
•Pleasure and relief from pulling out a hair (especially one that may feel “out of place”)
•Feelings of overwhelming anger and distress when one is unable to pull out a hair, followed by embarrassment and shame due to the hair being gone
•May be accompanied by toying with or ingesting the hair (however this is not always the case)
Only 1-2% of the entire population have reported their struggle with this mental disorder, however due to the lack of awareness about this mental issue, it is beyond likely that more people may deal with TTM than statistics show. Most people start hair pulling when they are very young, usually before the age of 10. Treatments specifically made for those suffering with Trichotillomania are not yet available, and those with this disorder know that manually stopping is beyond difficult, causing extreme distress and discomfort. There are many reputable hair growth treatments out there, of course, but what good will those do if you can’t stop picking and pulling to begin with?
As a young woman who has dealt with this disorder since the age of 6, I know how damaging to it can be to have no hair (specifically eyelashes and eyebrows): I’ve been bullied most of my life for it. Although it doesn’t effect me much now, up until recently it hindered my ability to function within society, as I had acquired depression and anxiety from the teasing I had experienced for my hair (or lack thereof).
Coping with this disorder hasn’t been easy for me-I still struggle with it-but it is possible to manage it. With regular visits to a therapist, a specialist, and the usage of different medications, life with TTM may become much easier to handle. Although these methods aren’t proven to cure Trichotillomania, they still have the potential to help one overcome it.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy:
A talk therapy focused primarily on changing negative behavior, thoughts, and emotional responses associated with psychological distress. This type of therapy has the possibility of reversing and removing ones urge to pull their hairs beginning from a general standpoint, exploring the background and experiences of a person as a whole and how that could have influenced the development of the disorder.
Habit Reversal Training:
Therapy focused primarily on improving awareness and developing techniques that help overcome bad habits. This therapy is more specific, and targets the repetitive and uncontrollable nature of the disorder rather than what may have caused it.
Antidepressants:
Antidepressants are prescribed to ease the hindering symptoms of depression (and anxiety), which can be a cause (or effect) of trichotillomania.
Specialists:
Specialists such as psychologists and psychiatrists have training and experience when it comes to diagnosing and treating mental health concerns, while dermatologists can offer insight on the affected areas of ones body due to the hair pulling.
Of course, however, insurance may not cover the expenses for these treatments. In this case, controlling TTM on one’s own may be the only available option.
Lindy Hahn, a writer for The TLC Foundation for Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors, gives a substantial list of ways to manually aid the urge to pull in her article “50 Ways To Stop Pulling Your Hair“. Methods that she states have helped her become “pull-free” include:
•Joining a support group
•Stimulating ones senses in ways other than pulling out their own hair
•Meditating
•Staring at the hair in the mirror for prolonged periods of time until the urge to pull has lessened (this process is called exposure therapy)
•Keeping track of hair growth and being proud of it
•learning to love ones own self
Other methods that I have personally used include:
•Watching Trichotillomania self-help videos on YouTube
•Reading self-help Trich books
(I recommend “Does It Hurt? Confessions of Compulsive Hair Pullers” by Sandy Rosenblatt)
•Keeping a log/journal of my emotions and my habits, keeping track of when I pull and when I don’t.
Living with a nearly unheard of mental illness that is physically noticeable and potentially the cause or effect of other mental issues is extremely difficult to (however is possible to) manage. Little is known about the disorder, and funding for additional scientific research is scarce, making hopes for a permanent solution to Trichotillomania diminish. Bringing awareness to this agonizing disorder could help quicken the process, benefiting the millions who fight Trich everyday.
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