Trichotillomania (Hair Pulling) Support Group
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Hi everyone,
I've been pulling the hair on my head since the age of 19. It started after the attacks on 9/11- the moment our country was attacked was the time I realized my own mortality. I noticed after that day I started pulling to ease my fears and my stress.
Luckily, head bands and such were in style so I had many things that I could wear on my head to cover up the bald spots.
About 2007 I watched a show and it featured a woman with Trich. She talked about hair pulling; she shaved her head and wore a wig. Until then, I never knew it about the Trich disorder. I finally knew that other people suffered with the same thing.
After watching the show, I was ashamed of myself for letting it happen for so long. I stopped pulling for a few years. After I got married and had kids is when the pulling started again. My hair got shorter and shorter. This was 2012.
The urges and the pulling got so bad (due to dealing with my husband's extreme bipolar episodes) that I actually shaved my own head around Easter of 2014 to finally stop. I was so ashamed and had to wear hats.
Yes, my husband's erratic and extreme behaviors are a trigger for me. The stress from him is sometimes unbearable.
My hair was growing back really well- I thought I was doing good... until November of 2014. I got freaked out over the Ebola outbreaks and started pulling again. The pulling got so bad that I decided to shave my head again.
Bringing us to today, I haven't pulled any hair since I shaved my head in November of last year (2014). Although, I now find myself picking scabs on my head. I don't remember doing that before, it was always just pulling hair. I hope I can stop doing that.
I bought myself a wig in January. I wear it sometimes instead of my hats. It's nice to see myself with "hair" and no one knows it's fake :)
Anyway, it's been almost 4 months pull-free. The urges aren't there right now. I am starting to learn how to cope with stress in different ways and trying to avoid my hair. I just take it one day at a time.
Having Trich sucks, period. I wish I didn't have the disorder and I can only hope that I don't have a relapse.
Thanks for reading. I hope you all can break free from Trich. I'm here if you need to vent or any advice. I'm glad we have this support group.
I've been pulling the hair on my head since the age of 19. It started after the attacks on 9/11- the moment our country was attacked was the time I realized my own mortality. I noticed after that day I started pulling to ease my fears and my stress.
Luckily, head bands and such were in style so I had many things that I could wear on my head to cover up the bald spots.
About 2007 I watched a show and it featured a woman with Trich. She talked about hair pulling; she shaved her head and wore a wig. Until then, I never knew it about the Trich disorder. I finally knew that other people suffered with the same thing.
After watching the show, I was ashamed of myself for letting it happen for so long. I stopped pulling for a few years. After I got married and had kids is when the pulling started again. My hair got shorter and shorter. This was 2012.
The urges and the pulling got so bad (due to dealing with my husband's extreme bipolar episodes) that I actually shaved my own head around Easter of 2014 to finally stop. I was so ashamed and had to wear hats.
Yes, my husband's erratic and extreme behaviors are a trigger for me. The stress from him is sometimes unbearable.
My hair was growing back really well- I thought I was doing good... until November of 2014. I got freaked out over the Ebola outbreaks and started pulling again. The pulling got so bad that I decided to shave my head again.
Bringing us to today, I haven't pulled any hair since I shaved my head in November of last year (2014). Although, I now find myself picking scabs on my head. I don't remember doing that before, it was always just pulling hair. I hope I can stop doing that.
I bought myself a wig in January. I wear it sometimes instead of my hats. It's nice to see myself with "hair" and no one knows it's fake :)
Anyway, it's been almost 4 months pull-free. The urges aren't there right now. I am starting to learn how to cope with stress in different ways and trying to avoid my hair. I just take it one day at a time.
Having Trich sucks, period. I wish I didn't have the disorder and I can only hope that I don't have a relapse.
Thanks for reading. I hope you all can break free from Trich. I'm here if you need to vent or any advice. I'm glad we have this support group.
shilorb
Chai, I'm actually glad you to hear what you think might have triggered it and what you know you use it for. As many of us on here and in other support groups are not positive what triggered it and why we continue to do it, myself included. In a way, you are like me, you and I worry about things we have no control over. I ended up buying a couple books on how to stop sweating the small stuff. There might even be some websites you can look at. I'm so glad to hear that you've been pull free for 4 months, but it sounds to me like any world crisis might trigger it again. I think this might be your first step to being totally pull free. No more freeing yourself only short term, I've been an on again, off again puller for a very long time. And believe me, I don't get the gratification I feel I would if I took the steps to being pull free for life. I've been pull free for a few days, it's not much but it's something, but if I feel like I might relapse, I'll definitely come to you, if you do the same! I have a daily contest post on here, and I update my progress everyday. You are more than welcome to check in on me and see how I am doing!
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