Trichotillomania

You know the phrase 'I'm so mad I could pull out my hair!' Well, that's an actual thing.

Trichotillomania is an impulse disorder that is characterized by the compulsive urge to pull out your hair. It affects about 2-4% of the population and currently does not have a medical treatment. It is commonly triggered by stress and anxiety.

Why pull out your hair? Doesn't it hurt?

Yes and no. When I pull out my hair I get an immediate sense of gratification, it's almost like a drug. The small twinge of pain from the hair being pulled out is like a small part of my stress melting away, until I look down on the floor and it's covered in hair. Then the horrible feelings of guilt and regret flood in. At my worst I had pulled out roughly 75% of the hair from my scalp. People with Trich generally tend to localize their pulling to one area, mine was the crown, leading down my natural part and along the side of my head.

Don't you see what you're doing to yourself? Why don't you just stop?

If it was that easy I wouldn't have been pulling out my hair for 15 years. People who have Trichotillomania don't generally find any comfort until their hands are running through their hair or fixated on a pair of tweezers and staring into a mirror. Once you start pulling you lapse into a state of mind where you don't even realize you're doing it anymore. Saying just stop is just like telling someone who has clinical depression to cheer up or someone who has schizophrenia to tune it out. It's possible to stop for periods of time but eventually everyone will relapse into a pulling state.

Beckie0 a youtube user who is pictured has a wonderful channel dedicated to her life with Trichotillomania. https://www.youtube.com/user/beckie0

It's just hair, it's not like it can actually hurt you.

I started pulling my hair when I was 7 years old, starting with the eyelashes first. Before I knew it I had pulled all the lashes out and was so desperate for more that I would dig into my eye lids trying to pull out new baby hairs. With my hands so close to my eyes all of the time I developed serious eye infections and with no eyelashes to protect my eyes from debris the infections only got worse.

Same thing can go for pulling on the scalp, eyebrows, or any other part of the body. When you pull a hair folicle out from the root it leaves a small open hole, if you do it enough times in a central location it becomes a cluster of open wounds that can lead to ingrown hairs or infections.

Dog tax

My Beanie. Look at that smug face. I love it.