Trichotillomania (Hair Pulling) Support Group
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I've been pulling for about 2 years now, i have huge bald spots on the right and left side of my head. I have hardly any hair left. My hair is starting to grow but i just pull it out. I'm not unhappy, i have an amazing son and Boyfriend and I'm pregnant. I don't know why i started but if I'm happy now why am i pulling? I think it started because i moved to a different state because my ex was abusive i needed it of that house and i finally had enough. The move was hard on me because i knew none here except my parents at the time i left everything i knew and had nobody really. It took a while for me to meet anyone. Long sorry short i met my Boyfriend we fell in love and now were having a baby. Yea we have issues sometimes but I'm a happy person and I'm not sure why i can't stop. My parents get angry with me about it and so does my Boyfriend they tell me to just stop. I break down crying allot because of it and miss my beautiful hair. Nobody understands why i can't just stop. My Boyfriend thinks i should shave it bald so that their won't be hair to pull and it will grow in healthier and i should be over it by then but imafraid to do it, what if he doesn't find me attractive anymore? What if ppl make fun of me and what if it didn't grow back. I need help any suggestions and thoughts are appreciated. I need to kick this bad habit :(
Understanding the reason you pull is part of the way to stop pulling.You say you had an ex that was abusive..Well that was very stressful..Just because you have left a stressful situation does not mean you are over it..Think Posttraumatic stress disorder.An anxiety disorder can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma.It still appears that you are under stress.
You are thinking that you should be happy and you are happy with certain parts of your life..But from what I can see you are still under constant stress. You will have to relieve the stress first in order to stop..You are going to have to get your parents and boyfriend to stop getting angry at you..That is adding to your stress and so you continue to release that stress by pulling..The key to stopping is to do what will make YOU happy first and foremost.I know people are saying to shave your head and that does work for some people..But you are pulling to relieve stress and if you shave your head..You just might move on to your eyebrows or eyelashes..B.t.w no matter how many times you pull out your hair it will grow back..Hair grows from follicles in the scalp and hair pulling does not damage the follicles. I think your trich is just temporary due to stress..Just take control and get those close to you to understand that it is not a habit..But an extreme compulsion that will go if you can lower the stress level at much as possible..Be firm..Because those closest to you are the ones who stress you out the most.