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  #1  
Old 19th October 2015, 12:51
Nat88 Nat88 is offline
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Default Trichotillomania

Bit of an embarrassing issue but thought I would turn to people on here to see if anyone else has trouble with this.

Trichotillomania is basically having the urge to pull hair out. I really struggle with trying to control this, and it gets me down. Has anyone managed to over come it, and do you have any tips? Thanks in advance
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Old 20th October 2015, 20:38
Nat88 Nat88 is offline
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Default Re: Trichotillomania

Sorry you suffer too, Lyra. It drives me mad. With me it's my eyelashes so it's pretty obvious and makes my social anxiety worse as I'm constantly paranoid people will notice it. Been reading up and it seems to go hand in hand with anxiety disorders, so currently trying mindfulness to control my anxiety.
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Old 20th October 2015, 21:57
ghost.of.an.englishman ghost.of.an.englishman is offline
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Default Re: Trichotillomania

yeah, I get this. It's not good at all, when I have it bad it does tend to exacerbate my anxieties, as others have said probably because I worry people can see how odd and barmy I am. I try to scrupulously keep a check on it, my eyebrows are fine at present (I'm just doing other odd tics instead!)
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Old 21st October 2015, 13:48
Nat88 Nat88 is offline
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Default Re: Trichotillomania

Thanks everyone for replying, I feel like such a weird person with an odd problem but the condition has a name so I'm sure it must be more common than people think.

I once managed to actively stop myself for two days and was proud of myself (I know it sounds like nothing, but when you've suffered for a few years like I have and the habit is well-ingrained then it's super hard). I'm really going to focus and stop myself now, mainly because I have postponed an eye test for months and the optician has mentioned it to me before.
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Old 24th October 2015, 17:39
Nat88 Nat88 is offline
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Default Re: Trichotillomania

Quote:
Originally Posted by kafkafan
I had this for years, pulled every day and had large bald patches, and had basically given up on it getting better, but it has, gradually, and now it's only occasionally when very tired and stressed that i pull. I wish i could tell you what helped but i honestly don't know what made it better, other than getting out of a difficult living situation i was in and maybe incidentally getting away from physical triggers (i used to pull mostly when sitting with my elbow on the arm of the sofa where i was living and moved somewhere that wasn't possible - i know it sounds daft for that to make a difference but its all i can think of!). I still sometimes pull from my arms so it hasn't gone away completely, but impacts my life much less now. Sorry to not really have any advice, but i would say you're definitely not weird for doing this and don't give up, also managing not to do it for 2 days is bloody good going! Also you've probably already come across it but i found this book helpful http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Hair-pul.../dp/0195149424 It's got lots of tips to try and also a lot of first person accounts of trich which made me think "oh thank god, that isn't just me!".
Thanks for that link; looks really interesting. Will have a search through my library's self-help section; never thought to look for books on the subject.

My family used to react pretty hurtfully when they first noticed me doing it; obviously they didn't understand the issue but it doesn't help in trying to overcome it. Since starting this thread, I've made a huge effort to stop pulling my lashes out, and being doing it a lot less than normal. Perhaps talking about it, even online, helps somewhat. So thanks everyone
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Old 24th October 2015, 18:09
Ajax Amsterdam Ajax Amsterdam is offline
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Default Re: Trichotillomania

If you've not done so already, it might be worth googling 'Impulse Control Disorders' of which Trich' is one.

https://www.newharbinger.com/psychso...trol-disorders

http://psychcentral.com/lib/what-are...rol-disorders/

Although I've not had this issue to any problematic extent I did used to twist and knot up my chest hair then rip the knot out at times. I'd also sit for ages with a pair of tweezers pulling out as many grey hairs from my head that I could find. Just for the hell of it really.
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