It seems to have cut half of my paragraph off for some reason...I know quite a lot about this disorder as I have researched it but just wondered if anybody else on here struggles with this as well. It’s a nightmare and I have to wear wigs or hats all the time now. I worry a lot about everything and I know it’s connected to that x

I don't have the hair pulling problem but I have GAD. Did your
therapist give you any ideas on what might help? All I can think is to keep your hands busy as much as possible.

Hello Pinkhearts. Welcome to DS.

Trichotillomania is not on my psycho smorgasbord, but excoriation disorder (scratching holes in my skin) is. I used to wear gloves to minimize the effects. Too bad I wasn't born in the 40's when gloves were high fashion. In the 70's, it was further evidence of just how weird I am. I'm wondering if wearing gloves would serve the same purpose for your hair pulling.

Equally, I wonder if shaving your head might help. I've been shaving my head since 1995 and my recent shaves have been getting allot more envy responses than sick cancer girl jokes. With a shaved head I can stop a head sweat with a wet rag. That is quite a luxury during a sub-tropical summer.

Just wondering. . . Gentle support while you find what works for you.
Welcome aboard.

Welcome to the anxiety board at DS.

You've written out the important part. Keep writing as it will help you sort through everything.

As a person who is dealing with eyebrow tweezing, I can definitely tell you that CBT does WORK.

The difference, though, is that you have to make the first step with your own plan, and follow through with all the process (feelings, emotions, words, images, people, places, things, time, and food, etc...). It's not a simple one size fits all treatment plan.

Cognitive Behavior Treatment plan: Cognitive psychology involves the study of internal mental processes—all of the things that go on inside your brain, including perception, thinking, memory, attention, language, problem-solving, and learning.

Hair pulling is often a soothing technique to reduce anxious behavior naturally.

What writing it out, and learning how anxiety is affecting your well-being, will do for you is help you find a different way to soothe your mind and allow you to heal.

Best wishes as you find what works for your better balance.

Have you seen a psychiatrist? I have heard (I don't have personal experience with hair pulling) that medication can be effective in calming these tendencies.

Have you tried any medication?

Hi Pinkhearts,
I started pulling my hair as a source of comfort at a young age, during adolescence/middle school. I didn't realize I had anxiety at the time but the pulling offered a sort of soothing comfort. I remember strands of hair falling on to my desk. In highschool I chopped my hair off and used styling products which deterred me from pulling. When I went off to the military I had a very short cut too. My hair pulling went into remission for 10 years until I decided to enter college/grad school. The stress of courses and my anxiety exacerbated my urge to pull once again. Tired of soreness on my scalp, I chopped off my shoulder length hair because I pulled from the front which was most noticeable. I saw a psychiatrist and psychologist. Medication to help with my anxiety and depression. And they help withdetermining when I was most prone to pulling (alone, bored, nervous/anxious, studying, before big exams). Once I recognize patterns and triggers I was better equipped to keep busy and occupy myself with other alternatives of stress relief. So, I used multiple strategies. I hope this helps. Try and find a good therapist and primary care physician to assist you in your healing.

Thanks everybody for your helpful replies. I do take medication for anxiety and cbt has offered some helpful tools to use to help notice the hair pulling. It scares me when I see the damage I have done as it is really bad. And yes I have thought about shaving my head as I do think it could help also it couldn’t look any worse than it does now. But it feels really scary and I worry in case I’d regret it and wouldn’t grow back. I wouldn’t know how to see a psychiatrist as the gp just refers me for nhs cbt so I guess I would have to look for one privately? Hope everybody Is ok on here and thanks for sharing, it’d good to know others struggle with the same or similar problems x

Here in my 60's it is finally slowing down and thinning a bit, but my hair grows bald to butt in 3 years. Since the first head shave in 1995, it has grown back thicker every time. That is not good news in my own case, beyond the contributions to Locks of Love every 3 years or so. That thickness is the very phenom that makes my head sweat so miserably in the first place. Head sweat burns the eyes horribly. It is quite literally blinding.

I cannot imagine hair being less likely to grow back after shaving than after pulling.

Pinkhearts,

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor. They deal with anxiety, depression, and definitely with hair pulling. You can either ask your primary care physician for a referral, or you can call your insurance company to find a psychiatrist. Does your health insurance have a website? They would have a list of doctors on there, and you call one of those psychiatrists and set up an appointment.

Seeing a psychiatrist is just talking to them in person. They don't do any kind of physical exams. It's an "easy" appointment, so not to worry.

Call your insurance company, or if they have a website, check on there.

I feel this will really help you. Good luck. You can do this. You will get better.

It’s Only Anxiety” by Carl James on Amazon. $11. An acceptance method for treating all forms of anxiety. Trich. falls into this category. You pull to relieve anxiety, the same way some cut or perform rituals. The only difference is the method used to relieve anxiety. This book can help by teaching you how to accept your symptoms and stop fighting them, thereby lessening the intensity until you are free of anxiety. I’m on my second month of practicing the method and I’ve seen results that are very encouraging. It takes time and lots of practice and patience. For me it is like I have nothing to lose but time, and something to gain if I refocus my energy toward acceptance rather than struggling and fighting.