Although there are only one to two percent of the world’s population that are officially diagnosed with Trichotillomania, the stigma and shame associated with it suggests that an estimated two to three percent more suffer in silence. Widespread ignorance or misinformation about this disorder, even among professionals, often compounds this.
Shame is something that Stephanie can relate to. More often than not she suffered in silence, hiding her hair-pulling from her parents. “My mum used scream at me to stop pulling my hair, so I used to hide it by scooping up the hair once I’d pulled it out and either throwing it away or hiding it under my pillow. I was ashamed of what I’d done, as if I was a naughty child doing something wrong.”
One of the many misconceptions about Trichotillomania is that it is tended to consider it an obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). While it may have some aspects of an OCD, such as the compulsion to pull, those who do it cannot be considered obsessive. It is actually more of an impulse control disorder as are conditions such as compulsive gambling, kleptomania, and pyromania.
There is also a tendency among non-Trich sufferers to minimise the problem, particularly among physicians and parents of child hair-pullers. Lack of information and the perception of it being merely a ‘phase she or he will grow out of’ leads to the false impression that Trichotillomania is something that people engage in from time to time.
Barbara Carovella, Stephanie’s mother, willingly admits that she never understood what her daughter was going through, or even knew that there was a name for it. “I honestly thought it was something that she would grow out of; that it was no big deal. If I had known that her twirling her hair when she was little would turn into Trichotillomania I would have broken the habit immediately.”
It’s easy to see that Barbara seems to blame herself for Stephanie’s disorder. “How was I to know that she had Trichotillomania? We didn’t even know there was name for her problem until she was about 20. I’d never heard of it, or even heard it spoken of. If I had known it was a disorder perhaps I would have been a little more understanding. But it wasn’t heard of. And it needs to be. Parents need to be made aware of the disorder, and be prepared to deal with the emotional roller-coaster that can come with it. They need to know it’s not something that their child is going to just grow out of.”
Article comments
1 - Anonymous
Thank you for this article. I have suffered with TTM since I was 3 years old, focused on my eyebrows and lashes, but I didn't know that it had a name, or that other people suffered this until I was 25. All of the shame and embarrassment you described are completely accurate.
2 - jmac76
there are definitely people out there and a few good websites, which are worth checking out. It was a personal article for me, as I also suffer from it so know the extent of how horrible it can be and the shame stigma.
3 - Leef Smith
Thank you for this excellent and informed article!
I would only add a note about all the amazing work that the Trichotillomania Learning Center does in helping to promote awareness around trich, advocate for research, and work toward ending the suffers of millions of people with trichotillomania
4 - Sarah
excellent article!
i'd just like to point out that SSRIs are NOT addictive(see Dr. Da Costa's comment).
however, you are correct in stating that they've been shown to have minimal effectiveness with hair-pulling behavior. SSRIs HAVE been shown to help a LOT with depression and anxiety.
right now, the best treatment that we know about for TTM is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
5 - iamrj
Good article. I enjoy reading it. I just wrote an article about alopecia (hair loss) and, while researching it, I ran across a comprehensive survey of Trichotillomania research. The information was compiled by Manjit Kaur Ubhi, who uses hypnotherapy, neuro-linguistic programming and cognitive behavioral techniques in her work with hair pullers. Her very informative survey is available online. Anyone wanting to delve deeply into sociopsychological aspects hair pulling should check out Manjit Kaur Ubhi's work.
6 - Tonia
I have just realized I have TTM, I can remember pulling out hair one strand at a time when I was a teen and even younger. But it has just reared it's ugly head just before my daughters wedding. Mine is a little different. I pull out my husbands facial hair. Has anyone else heard of this?
7 - kml
wow-i have had ttm since age 10..i am now almost 20 years old and i haven't been able to stop. it is true that medications don't really have the affect said intended..i have tried various medications with no luck. the embarassment and harassment of society makes having this illness even more unbareable. i have never personally met anyone with the same thoughts as mine...towards trich..i wish i could know why i started doing this..what triggered it..ttm has seriusly mad a HUGE IMPACT ON MY entire life...i can not picture my life without it.. it has sketched me out to be this person i am.. and i am fully ashamed of it. i would do anything to be able to stop..anything
8 - cc
i am 24 years old and have been pulling out my eye lashes since i was 12. recently i moved back to my home town a couple years ago back in with my divorced parents and i started pulling severely more and started using more drugs and drinking more. i guess i have family issues. i got treatment for my alcohol and drug problem and have been clean for 6 mnths now. i still have this trichotillomania problem tho i have to learn to deal with. i dont know how but i refuse to take ssris's. i generally pull n play with my eye lashes while driving in the car, watching tv or on the computer reading something. it's hard. i guess it's anxiety
9 - im worried
I am a 16 year old boy and i think i have this.
I just twirl my hair all the time. The area between my ear and forhead.
I have pulled out so much of my hair, im really worried... im already depressed and suicidal, this is crossing the line.
10 - Cindy
Hey there im worried. Do you have someone to talk to in person or on the phone right now? Can you call a friend?
11 - Cindy
im worried,
Here is a place online you can go, no matter where you live or what time it is. They don't tell you what to do or judge you, they just listen.