Hair Pulling - Trichotillomania

[AJ65]

About a month ago I noticed, to my utter horror, a bald patch about the size of a 2 pence coin at the back of my beloved 9 yo daughter's head. I brush her hair regularly so I don't know how I'd missed it! After initially telling me that someone in class had accidentally pulled some hair out - which I did not really believe as she has a low pain threshold and it would have hurt like crazy to pull that much hair out - she eventually admitted to pulling it out, hair by hair, in class.

After we'd had a long talk and I'd showed her the damage she'd done using two mirrors she promised to stop. We agreed to talk to her teacher and got his agreement for her to wear bracelets to have something to fiddle with when she gets bored on the mat.

But a month on and it doesn't seem to have grown back at all. She's exhibited slightly OCD behaviour - fear of germs/chemicals - before and I'm wondering whether to take her to the GP to discuss it, but I'm alarmed by the idea of counselling or medication for an otherwise happy and engaged child.

Hi AJ, I have had trichotillomania since age 11 (I'm 31 now) and in my experience its not something that just goes away on its own. I still pull on a daily basis and much worse during times of stress. I have effectively ruined my hair as the areas where I pull (top and back of head) have grown back wirey, kinky and for the last few years completely white.

Take your daughter to the GP, from what I hear CBT is the best form of treatment, medication does absolutely nothing and believe me I tried them all. Trich usually shows up when children experience some kind of trauma that they cannot deal with, in my case it was physical abuse from a stepmother that I was hiding from my dad.

Some alternative therapy such as herbs, acupuncture, meditation are said to be useful although your dd is a little young for that. Hypnotherapy didn't work for me at all. Try to nip it in the bud as soon as possible, most times it is a lifelong condition that can really cause stress during teenage years. Good luck with your little one. if she has a lot of loving support i'm sure she'll overcome it.

Hi agapimou - thanks for your message and apols for not responding sooner; after a couple of days of no response at all I didn't think anyone would respond! I am still at my wits end as it doesn't seem to be getting any better and I don't know what to do. After further talks I realised that she did it when my husband and I were arguing quite badly and shouting at each other. We've both made real efforts to curb our behaviour seeing how it has affected her, and explained that although we argue, we always make up and we love each other. I'm loathe to get the GP involved at this stage; she's so young. Poor girl. She is so lovely and so loved, but has been troubled since her grandfathers died a few years ago as it affected us all badly, particularly the death of my father. I wish I could get inside her head and understand the way she thinks. We spend plenty of quality time together and she knows she can talk to me about anything at all, so I don't think she's hiding anything... Sorry, have rambled on.

This might help a bit:

www.trichotillomania.co.uk/