Hair-pulling Disorder

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    Light at the end of the tunnel. #Anxiety #Depression #SocialAnxiety #ptsd #CPTSD

    I haven’t been on here as much as I would like to be these days. Work kept me super busy to the point of complete exhaustion but thankfully it’s a job that I like to do. I’ve also been experiencing unbearable mental and emotional pain which is making me more exhausted. It’s actually led me to have several hair pulling (aka trichotillomania) relapses.

    On a positive note, I did see a new psychiatrist the other day. I didn’t realize that I needed to make that change until now. Before that appointment I got so
    burnt out to the point where i didn’t want to try anymore because of how much disappointment, hurt, and pain I was feeling.

    I’m still going through a lot right now but things are starting to look hopeful again.

    #emotionalabusesurvivor #mentalexhaustion #emotionalexhaustion #trichotillomania #hairpullingdisorder #Christian

    2 comments
    Post

    Weird Rituals I Do With Trichotillomania

    Trichotillomania has me do weird rituals with my hair-pulling. One thing I do is hoard my hair into clumps and then pull them apart, feeling the coarse texture then put it in the trash to then do the same thing but find it on my floor or dig up my trash can. I don’t know how many people have rituals like this with Trichotillomania, but I wanted to share to hopefully feel less alone.
    #Trichotillomania #HairpullingDisorder #BodyFocusedRepetitiveBehaviors

    2 comments
    Post

    Does anyone with BPD (#borderlinepersonality ) pull their hair? What do you do to self soothe? Also, my first post ☺️👋🇨🇦 (#Trichotillomania )

    Hi everyone,

    This is my first post, I just joined The Mighty yesterday and am amazed at the community!! great app idea! ☺️

    Anyway, I am not formally diagnosed with BPD but I consulted with a psychologist here in Toronto, Canada 🇨🇦 (#toronto) and he said that I have so many of the symptoms, he suggested I consult with a specialist in this area. It was actually me who discovered this personality disorder and suggested he assist me with this and he said it sounds like I may have it. Both my husband and I are convinced I have it, as soo many of the symptoms ring true, I think I have 7/9. I don’t have the compulsive/addictive symptoms (ie. I don’t have any alcohol/drug/gambling/shopping/sex or other addictions) or self harm ones, however. That said, the psychologist said I need someone more specialized. I’m learning there’s very few psychologists with the training in BPD so I’ve been put on 2 waitlists and just doing DBT myself with my own reading.

    I actually am very high functioning as a successful professional👩‍💼 in my mid 30s. I’m married 👰🏻‍♀️, and did well socially in any superficial setting. I did well in school politics for this reason. However, any deeper form of friendship has been an immense struggle as my black and white thinking, extreme over reactions/freak outs and obsessive thoughts can cause issues. I also don’t connect well with people easily... I just attribute this to a rare personality type and introversion (I’m an INFJ if anyone knows Myer Briggs personality types, that’s the rarest ‘type’ unfortunately!) It’s possible I’m on the asperger spectrum as well but very mild if so, it was more an issue as a child. I’ve dealt with a lot growing up but somehow managed to do well academically and professionally with a lot of motivation and hard work.

    **Ok my main question is:**

    I have trichotillomania which is a hair pulling disorder (#Trichotillomania ) Does anyone else struggle with this? This, to me, isn’t self harm because it doesn’t hurt at all and is just a way to self soothe. I often pull my hair out when stressed but it is an impulsive control disorder technically because I pull my hair out anytime, when watching TV, I can’t stop. It’s like an OCD. There’s no medication or cure for it though.
    I also use lip balm and hand cream a lot, almost obsessively, I’m not sure if this is related. It helps me self soothe but I also always feel like my skin is dry and there is a history of arthritis in my family so it could be related to this. What do you do to “self soothe” if not?

    Just curious about other’s experiences... hope to see everyone around ☺️ #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #Trichotillomania #infj

    9 comments
    Post

    Does anyone with BPD (#borderlinepersonality ) pull their hair (#Trichotillomania )? Also, this is my first post ☺️🇨🇦👋

    Hi everyone,

    This is my first post, I just joined The Mighty yesterday and am amazed at the community!! great app idea! ☺️

    Anyway, I am not formally diagnosed with BPD but I consulted with a psychologist here in Toronto, Canada 🇨🇦 (#toronto) and he said that I have so many of the symptoms, he suggested I consult with a specialist in this area. It was actually me who discovered this personality disorder and suggested he assist me with this and he said it sounds like I may have it. Both my husband and I are convinced I have it, as soo many of the symptoms ring true, I think I have 7/9. I don’t have the compulsive/addictive symptoms (ie. I don’t have any alcohol/drug/gambling/shopping/sex or other addictions) or self harm ones, however. That said, the psychologist said I need someone more specialized. I’m learning there’s very few psychologists with the training in BPD so I’ve been put on 2 waitlists and just doing DBT myself with my own reading.

    I actually am very high functioning as a successful professional👩‍💼 in my mid 30s. I’m married 👰🏻‍♀️, and did well socially in any superficial setting. I did well in school politics for this reason. However, any deeper form of friendship has been an immense struggle as my black and white thinking, extreme over reactions/freak outs and obsessive thoughts can cause issues. I also don’t connect well with people easily... I just attribute this to a rare personality type and introversion (I’m an INFJ if anyone knows Myer Briggs personality types, that’s the rarest ‘type’ unfortunately!) It’s possible I’m on the asperger spectrum as well but very mild if so, it was more an issue as a child. I’ve dealt with a lot growing up but somehow managed to do well academically and professionally with a lot of motivation and hard work.

    **Ok my main question is:**

    I have trichotillomania which is a hair pulling disorder (#Trichotillomania ) Does anyone else struggle with this? This, to me, isn’t self harm because it doesn’t hurt at all and is just a way to self soothe. I often pull my hair out when stressed but it is an impulsive control disorder technically because I pull my hair out anytime, when watching TV, I can’t stop. It’s like an OCD. There’s no medication or cure for it though.
    I also use lip balm and hand cream a lot, almost obsessively, I’m not sure if this is related. It helps me self soothe but I also always feel like my skin is dry and there is a history of arthritis in my family so it could be related to this. What do you do to “self soothe” if not?

    Just curious about other’s experiences... hope to see everyone around ☺️ #BorderlinePersonalityDisorder #Trichotillomania #infj

    3 comments
    Post

    Is knotting and pulling my own hair self harm? I don't think it is, just a nervous habit. #Hairpulling

    #HairpullingDisorder

    3 comments
    Post

    Skin-Picking/Hair-Pulling/OCD

    I just read and saw the pictures for the Depression page that keeps popping up and I wanted to share my story in the hopes it may help even one person.

    Shortly after my son was born, I developed cystic acne and I started picking at my skin. There were days I just couldn’t stop. This went on for years. I remember sitting in front of my mirror balling my eyes out on my 40th birthday because I just couldn’t stop. FYI: Skin-picking and hair-pulling are in the same category, so what works for one, should work for the other. Not sure about OCD, but it’s something you may consider.

    HERE’S WHERE THE STORY GETS INTERESTING... One day my cleaning lady and I were speaking about it (I never picked in front of her, but it was kind of obvious). She had been quite the wild child in her youth and told me people who use Meth pick there skin.

    THIS IS THE PART THAT MAY HELP YOU. So, the next time I visited my psychiatrist I asked him which chemical in the brain does Meth effect and he answered dopamine. I then asked if it increased or decreased dopamine levels. He answered that it increased levels. My next question was, what medication can you prescribe me that will lower my dopamine levels. He prescribed an antipsychotic (I’m in the process of getting the exact name and dosage and will post as soon as my records arrive).

    I took the medication for about two months and I quit picking completely! I WAS CURED!!! I continued taking the medication for about six months and then tapered off of it. I DIDN’T PICK FOR YEARS!!!

    I started taking Gabapentin a while ago and I think my dopamine levels have gone back up because I’m picking again. I’m waiting for my records to arrive to get the name of the med because it was prescribed so long ago. As soon as I get it, my current psychiatrist is ready to prescribe with only a call. I’ll try to keep you posted on my progress as I go through it a second time. I sincerely hope this helps someone! #skinpicking #ExcoriationSkinPickingDisorder #Dermatillomania #HairpullingDisorder #Hairpulling #Trichotillomania #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder #OCD #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder

    12 comments
    Post

    I just wanted to tell somebody how I feel

    hi, I’m new here and sorry for my bad English but it’s not my native language. I talked to a pshycologist long time ago, for a few times, trying to get rid of thricotillomania/ hair pulling disorder I have since I was 13 y/o (and I have it even now that I’m 22 y/o, but I can’t tell my parents because they would be really sad about that, because they think I’m not doing it anymore), but without any results and my behaviour was still the same, fighting with self-harm, angry and sad for Crohn disease too, diagnosed when I was 16 y/o. I really want to see a psychologist again because I don’t know what’s wrong with me and if I have something that can be named or diagnosed only to feel relieved knowing that there’s really something and it’s not just me. I feel wrong to define myself as someone with depression because I don’t know if it’s right and I feel like it’s unfair to people who are really depressed, anxious and so on.
    I just want to know what I’m fighting with but I’m a student and I don’t want to ask my parents for money to see a psychologist, because now they’re dealing with other problems and I don’t want to be one of them, and I have no time to work because I have to take the degree to make their efforts not vain and to make them proud. I feel trapped because I feel like I have no right to complain but this is really hard for me. my boyfriend tries so hard to understand me but I feel like a burden to him, because even if he tries, he could never truly understand me and my diseases because it’s something that he doesn’t really know, and I feel like I’m dragging him down with me because I’m always tired and sick and like I’m blocking him from living his life of a 21 y/o human being #CrohnsDisease #HairpullingDisorder #Sadness

    1 comment
    Post

    Dealing With A Hair pulling disorder

    I have had trichotillomania for 6 and half years now. I was 11 year old. It started with my eyelashes, and then it moved to my eyebrows. Trichotillomania is a hair pulling disorder that is usually triggered. My trigger was pain. I had been dealing with somthing called Median arcurate ligament syndrome. It is a very rare disease that started around the time I started pulling. Sadly because of how rare it is I hadn't been diagnosed with it until I was 15. The disease was actually killing me in my case because it hurt too much to eat. And because of that I was skin and bone up until I had life saving surgery a year and half ago. Until now I had no hair on my face. I ended up getting PTSD from pain to no pain. it was the first time in 5 years I had not felt like I was going to explode in pain. So because of the PTSD it triggered me to pull the hair on my head. I ended up having to shave my head because I pulled out so much. It has been a very hard struggle, but with help from therapy, medicine, and support from others, I have been able to stop. I have eye lashes now and the hair on my head is growing back completely. I am still shaving my eyebrows because I am fearful that others will notice. But I am saying this to say there is hope! And if I can do it, so can you! #Trichotillomania #PTSD #MALS

    2 comments