Anyone managed to stop scalp picking or hair pulling habits?

Biab or press on nails. Render your fingers useless for picking and so you stop. Also stops you biting your nails although it hasn’t totally cured me of picking at the skin around my nails

FAB post !! I also highly recommend the amazing Clare Mackay !! 🤩🤩🤩

A scalp picker. When I have too many sores I use vinegar on my scalp and ot dries them up. Shampoo hair as usual and then pour vinegar over your hair until you feel you whole scalp is covered. Leave it for a minute or so if you can and rinse it out. Any vinegar is ok, I just use cheap white vinegar but malt does the job too. Be careful not to get it in you eyes.

A few people have mentioned that body focused repetitive behaviours (BFRBs), including hair pulling and skin picking, are linked to ADHD. Just wanted to say that current research (details below) shows that although they can co-occur with ADHD, they co-occur with lots of different conditions, and they are far more likely to co-occur with anxiety and depression than with ADHD. They can also occur in people without any other conditions. They are a distinct condition, and are not a symptom of another condition. Treatment options are highly specific, and different to any co-occuring conditions.

There is a fantastic charity called BFRB UK and Ireland. They have a Facebook group and they run zoom support groups for people with BFRBs, separate groups for families, and also zoom yoga and art groups. They also have online conferences with up-to-date research including treatment options. There is also an American charity called the TLC Foundation.

It is worth looking up Professor Clare McKay (#trichprof), who is a neuroscientist at Oxford University. She suffers from hair pulling (trichotillomania) herself and has published extensively. Below is a link to a video in which she explains key factors of BFRBs, including the research re co-occuring conditions; that they occur more frequently in people with other mental health conditions and with neurodivergence than they do in people without other conditions, and that depression and anxiety are by far the most common comorbidities. They co-occur with other conditions at a much lesser frequency than anxiety /depression (ADHD, OCD and Tic disorders have identical rates, with addictions not far behind,)

Here is the talk

A few things that often come up:

1. BFRBs are really common at low frequencies (eg low-level nail biting), but to be classed as a disorder they must result in significant distress or harm. They can significantly impact quality of life, occupational functioning and relationships.

1. They are not a form of self harm. In self harm, harm is the intended consequence of the behavior, whereas in BFRBs, harm is an unintended consequence

1. They can sometimes look similar to some types of autistic stims (eg hair twirling) but they are not stims

1. They share some characteristics of OCD, but they are not the same as OCD.

1. They are not a symptom of another condition, although they occur much more frequently in people with other mental health conditions and/or neurodivergence than in people without other conditions. Depression and anxiety are by far the most common co-occuring conditions, with lower rates in OCD, ADHD, tic disorders, and addictions.

1. Some people are unaware when they engage in the behaviours (eg watching tv then suddenly realise you've been pulling), but they can occur as consciously directed behaviours. This does not mean they are a 'choice', as the conscious behaviours result from irresistible urges. People often enter a trance-like state. It is likely there are different subtypes.

1. Research is ongoing but current thinking is that they are grooming behaviours gone awry. They function as a maladaptive strategy to regulate emotions - including anxiety, depression, and boredom. They are often maintained through shame (eg distress leads to pulling; the consequences (eg bald patches) lead to shame; shame leads to distress; distress leads to more pulling

1. There can also be a hormonal component, as well as a motor control element (the physical movements can become hardwired).

1. BFRBs usually begin in adolescence and often carry on across the lifespan, often with periods of remission and relapse. Treatment and self management strategies include habit reversal therapy and others (BFRB UK & Ireland has more info)

10. Historically it has been very difficult to get help and there has been lot of ignorance about what they are and the impact on quality of life among medical professionals. This is starting to change with the impact and research of people like Professor Mackay. Progress is being made in terms of improving understanding among general public and medical professionals, which is why it is really important to recognize BFRBs as distinct from other conditions - in order that people get the right treatment and support.

Solidarity with anyone going through this x

As a teen I started looking for and picking out split ends in my hair, I'm 42 now and still do it but in the last 8 years or so it has also progressed into pulling out strands of my hair if I think they feel bumpy, I can sit for hours looking for split ends and also pulling out strands. I have tried many times to stop and even tried fidget toys but nothing has helped, it's weird because i feel like it calms my anxiety. As I've got older though I don't even try to hide it any more and do it while sat taking to people. I have noticed my hair is thinning in some area's 😔

I don't know,but I've had at least 2 infected scabs and it isn't stopping me.
I have severe ADHD and trauma.

I do this. Its gross but I have no desire to stop. If my partner tries to stop me doing it the urge feels stronger than ever.

I also have ADHD. Used to be a terrible knuckle cracker (even more gross IMO) but a long term treatment on an SSRI took that urge away. Was on the SSRIs for depression, not knuckle cracking.

Literally sat here picking my scalp reading this 🙄 recently diagnosed ADHD (at 45) I also bit nails and pick skin on fingers, can seem to stop

I pick the skin on my neck and back. I have lots of red spots all over them. I do it when anxious. I used to hair pull and strangely enough when I noticed a bald patch I was horrified and stopped for about 10 years. I started again a few months ago and managed to stop again. But the skin picking is bad.

Body Focused Repetitive Behaviours - BFRBs

an amplification of natural grooming behaviours -

I have it (lifelong)

I do this too, especially when driving after a stressful meeting or day at work. I don’t have adhd but I’ve always picked at my scalp and eyebrows.

I’d never heard of magnesium being linked to hair pulling etc. Very interesting. It’s something I would done for decades, and our water is very high in iron, which can affect magnesium levels.

Breaking my arm broke my habit. But it was a painful and inconvenient solution

I do loads of stuff like this. I tend to do it when I'm deep in thought, which I usually am, or a bit anxious.

I don't have ADHD, and don't believe I have it either. I just thought it's a habit like biting your nails or whatever.

I didn’t realise other people did this. What a revelation and relief. I’d absolutely love to know how to stop - hate it so so much.

Interesting that there is a link to ADHD too. Always wondered if I had it.

Have you tried a picky pad? I pick my fingers and feet. In fact, I’m picking my feet right now. 😭

Those shampoos make my head worse. I think you have to find the right shampoo for you.

I agree with a pp that keeping your hair really clean helps.

My niece got great relief from a range of ADHD linked stresses from magnesium l-threonate.
Medication did not agree with her and this was suggested as an alternative.
It has been a great success.
She is 18.

I let myself scratch my scalp. It’s under my hair so no one sees it and sometimes it’s the only thing that helps a certain feeling.

Ah interesting! For me it's when I wash my hair that the back of my scalp feels itchy. The following day or two isn't as bad.

It’s so reassuring to know I’m not alone in this. I started during Covid and relapsed after a bereavement. I even do it in the middle of the night. Wearing a little cotton hat does help sometimes but I’m totally unconscious of doing it most of the time. I’m currently down to one patch.

I was twiddling my hair even as a baby so having my hand to my head is deeply ingrained. I definitely don’t have ADHD but have had some OCD tendencies in the past.

I hate it but can’t stop

Body-focused repetitive behaviours (BFRBs) is the technical term for this if you want to google it. It’s one of the trickiest things to treat, and very easy to make worse, because drawing attention to it, increases the compulsion.

Be cautious who you look to for help with it because non-specialists will tend to reach to the obvious (and counter productive) solutions if they haven’t up to date training. From a specialist/ expert/ authority that can land hard - a negative experience with a gp can set you right back. It’s one of those things where the support and suggestions of fellow sufferers online can be more beneficial.

It’s really important to try and reduce the shame around it, because that’s part of the self perpetuating cycle, so be mindful of any negative self talk, and push back on disgust with self compassion if you can. Practising self compassion in other contexts, on a regular or daily basis can help make it more reflexive when it’s needed. The Buddhist practice of Metta meditation is one option.

False nails.

They're thick enough that picking or scratching doesn't really do much. After a while you get out of the habit. If you relapse, just start wearing them again.

I've had trichotillomania (hair pulling) for over 30 years and haven't really done it at all in the last 5/6 years. Antidepressants have helped me and not having my hair down in the evenings so I can't sit and fiddle with it.
Clean hair helps. And weirdly, because you'd think it would set me off, watching videos of hairs being picked YouTube stops me wanting to do it to myself.

I'm pretty sure it was High Potency Magnesium by Viridian - I have no link to them!!!