Trichotillomania

The Basics

The basics of Trichotillomania are that there are no basics. Trichotillomania is a very difficult thing to explain to people who don't have it. Trichotillomania, or Trich, is the nightmare you have while you're awake. It's a constant battle. It's just really annoying, inconvenient, stressful and addictive.

For those of you who don't know what Trichotillomania is, here are some facts and other informative pieces of information for your convenience.

Trichotillomania- (also called hair-pulling disorder) is a mental disorder that involves recurrent, irresistible urges to pull out hair from your scalp, eyebrows or other areas of your body, despite trying to stop.

This disorder can cause people, both male and female, to pull out there hair. Most commonly from their scalps, eyebrows, or eyelashes. Many people don't notice how much they are pulling out until the damage is done. Trichotillomania can lead to baldness, and hair loss.

There is no found cause to Trichotillomania. There is also no know cure.

The best thing to do is to distract your hands. Crafts, fidget toys, anything like that can help. Keeping a chart or something to count the days you've gone pull free also helps.

If you know someone who has Trich and they're pulling don't tell them to stop. One of the worst things you can say to a "trichster" is to just stop. It isn't that simple. What you can do is nonchalantly tell that person that they are pulling again. That will allow the trichster to boost their reason to stop. By saying that you give them the strength they need to stop. Also, don't freak out every time he/she touches his/her head. It isn't the end of the world. Sometimes we need to feel our bald spots or our regrowth. Sometimes our heads are really itchy. Just be the person that someone who is struggling with Trich can go to for comfort. Be the friend that they can hang around without feeling bad about their bald spots. Be the friend that allows him/her to feel good about themselves and maybe even forget about the problem. You can't stop their pulling but you can help them through the bad days and make them forget for a little bit.

And if you do have trichotillomania then find that friend. And remember that no matter what, you can overcome you're problem. It will take time but it is possible.