7 year old pulling and eating her hair

[elizabeth27]

I need some advice - I thought my dd would grow out of this - about 18 months ago I noticed she was pulling her hair and then eating it 😲 she was heading back fo school in a new year so thought maybe she was worried - she said she was not. We bought fiddly toys for distractions and some scratch sleeves for bedtime and it seemed to do the trick for a good while.
Since September she has started again and I thought again it was School. She doesn’t do it at home mainly because she knows I will see and the teacher is on the ball at class and tells her not to. But this morning a massive lump has gone and she said it was at drama club. She also says she has eaten some. I’ve told her calmly how dangerous that is but I just don’t think it will stop her. I will take her to the gp on Monday but I just don’t know how to help her 😔

Hi, my dd used to do this, there’s a condition called trichotillomania which is what my dd had. There’s a specific treatment for it which can be accessed through CAMHS. Ask your GP or School to refer your dd. Eating the hair is quite concerning as it can cause problems so I’d push for a referral soon. I hope you find your gp helpful.