What is this about?! Not sure at all how to deal with this one!

[serendippity]

My (I thought) very happy, confident and outgoing 5 year old DS has started to rip his hair out, in clumps and is eating it!! It started about 2 weeks ago and to start with I sort of explained it was not a good thing to do, fished the hair out of his mouth and that was it. Perhaps I should have been a lot firmer, but I didn't want to draw too much attention to it for fear of making it worse IYSWIM.
It's getting to the stage where he is getting a small bald patch and I'm putting him in the corner or taking away his Tablet whenever I catch him doing it...but it is not going in! I have asked him way and he says he doesn't know, he isn't worried about anything, nothing big has happened in our house that has disturbed or upset him, so what is this? and what on earth can I do?
Anyone any experience? Is this phase? Do I continue to punish or ignore?
Help!

why I have asked him why not way.

I did this as a child. Can't remember how I stopped. Sorry, not helpful!

I've just Googled it and there's loads of info - apparently it's very common. Just Google "child pulling out hair and eating it"

Good luck!!

I would say the first thing to do is not punish him. He's not being naughty and won't understand why he is being punished.

Have you talked to teacher? Is there another family member he can talk to? He might sense how it is upsetting you and not feel able to tell you why in case it makes you angry (and he will be punished) or makes you sad.

That is not something I would have thought to google! Thanks coughle will take a look.
Interested in other parents experiences on here as well tho, just a bit baffled as to where this came from...and why the hell he is eating it, obviously I've heard of hair pulling, but not the eating part of it!

Thanks Angelik.
Ds and I have a very close relationship and I very much doubt he wouldn't want to tell me but it is a possibility. Unfortunately we have zero family in the area! but I may ask DHs mum to have a chat, they go away to stay with them tomorrow without me, so it may be a good opportunity.
Oh and I know, absolutely know that he is not anxious about going away, he's been counting down the days

It's called trichotillomania and it is generally an anxiety induced behaviour. I would suggest asking a GP for a referral to a dematologist to rule out any skin irritation that might also be a cause (have you checked for head lice?) Then try offering something that will give your ds the same sensation, ds had a piece of fur that he plucked bald. For ds it only lasted a short while, it was triggered by him moving schools, so one school photo shows him with many bald patches and the following year he had a full head of hair again.

Yes have just had a good read, and the site I went on suggested giving something with the same sensation.
No lice! that thought also went through my mind :)
Thanks insanity.

My cousin did this for years. She liked the sensation apparently.

She ended up almost bald with a hair ball at one stage, and to this day still tugs her hair as she is falling asleep. She is 40.

My aunt resorted to spraying her hair with Elnett or covering it with wet look gel until she stopped. Tastes disgusting by all accounts.

Hope you can get it sorted op, Hopefully the habit isn't too entrenched yet.