A child with Trichotillomania

[HaveChangedNameForThis]

I think this is my son

Anyone else have a child with trich, or indeed are you an adult with this condition?

I have this.

Have you questions?

Don't know what to say about it really, but happy to help if I can

He is 8

Anxious child

Do I need to get psychiatric (sp) help for him?

Will the puliing stop of it's own accord?

We have cut his hair v short today - so he can't get a grip but I think he'll move on to eye lashes?

Thank you for replying

I have this too, although don't go as far as to create bald patches. Having read that article I would say that mine is habitual, like nail biting, rather than to do with any particular stress or mental condition.

In a child of this age, if you've already identified that he's anxious, I would definitely take him to the GP and ask about a referral.

The patch is as big as his hand on the side of his head

I am petrified that I will be blamed for this - am an anxious person too (nailbiter) so very sad that he appears to have inherited my traits

OK well mine didn't show up until around 14 and I didn't even know there was a word for it until I was an adult, it was just something I did (still do) iyswim.

I can tell you my experience, but that's all I have because I don't know anyone else who does this and I've never had any treatment for it.

I have never fully stopped since I first started but when I first started pulling I gave myself a small bald patch. Once I realised how much hair had gone and became aware of what I was doing I was able to cut it down a lot and confine it to particular areas on my head.

Why do you think he'll move on to eyelashes? Is he showing signs of that? I've never even been tempted by eyelashes or eyebrows. It wouldn't give the right "feeling", if that makes any sense. It would hurt too much too.

It's basically a lot like nail biting I think. It's very hard to stop because sometimes you do it unconsciously, but it's not totally beyond your control (although he is only 8, so might be harder for him).

I don't bite my nails at all but I know a lot of people who do and although I can't understand how you could bite your nails down to the quick until they bleed, in another way I sort of get how you can do something compulsively that gives you a feeling that is kind of painful, but doesn't really feel like pain.

Sorry, I'm not explaining this very well.

Basically it has very little impact on my life at all. I have some patches of shorter hair around the back of my head and near my temples that I pull. It's not really very noticeable and I rarely think about it. It has had very little impact on my life overall.

The phrase on that Wikipedia article "Individuals with trichotillomania live relatively normal lives" made me LOL

Cutting his hair short sounds a good idea to me. When I go through phases where I pull a lot (usually if I'm stressed) I sometimes cut the hair I pull very short so I can't grab hold of it.

It's kind of weird telling you all this because it's stuff I barely ever think about.

If you're worried about it I would maybe mention it to your GP and see if you can get him seen by a specialist who could help him to at least minimise the effects.

Hope some of this makes some sense.

Why would you be blamed for it? It's not really a blame thing, is it?

It's just a thing that some people do.

The hair will grow back.

Go to your GP and get a referral so that you can help him out with this.

I'm sure it must be very shocking to see your little boy with a self-inflicted bald patch on his head, but hair grows back.

I'm sure he's inherited lots of lovely things from you

Don't worry too much about it. This isn't a life-ruining thing (despite the wikipedia article). It's eminently dealable with, especially now you think you know what you're dealing with.

And the fact that you can be anxious too means you're the perfect person to understand him and get him the help that he needs.

I have this too. Suprised to see others on here with it

I started pulling at 11, and have never stopped, am nearly 30 now. I have tried many things but nothing stops me for long. I pull all over, from head to eyebrows. I used to pull my eyelashes but stopped when I was 14 and wanted to wear makeup lol.

If you email Lois, you will find her details on www.trich.co.uk she will talk to you about this.

I have been involved with research into this disorder and the results are proving interesting atm. (must get back in touch with the man doing this)

OP, you OK? You sound quite upset

That's brilliant that SGC seems to know tons about it and now you have the e-mail of an expert you can talk to. That should help lots and help you find the way forward for DS.

I will FB message the man doing the research to see if I can post his email here. He has been working with adults tho, so not sure where he stands on kids atm.

When I spoke to him last he said that the research was showing that we all have a part in the brain that is slightly difference to everyone else, and they think thats why we pull.

Also you will see it referred to as an OCD but its an impulse disorder, not an OCD

dd2 (3.8) does this
she has a huge balding patch on the side of her head
pretty much the enitre one side of her head
we have tried lots of things
I just dont know what to do

Gosh thank you all for replying

I was googling and came across the wiki thing and it threw me

You have put this into perspective for me - he is a lovely little lad and this is just one aspect of his personality

Oh MN thank you

Well here's another one. I'd echo what Skidoodle has said and my experience is pretty similar. I started when I was around 13 or 14 and at 40 I still do it to some extent. I concentrate only on the top of my head and at times it has looked pretty bare but it doesn't look too bad at the moment apart from the fact that I have a very strong concentration of grey hair in that part. I've never I really felt the need to 'do something about it' but it's not something you can easily explain to other people.

In view of the fact that your DS is so young, I'd take him to the GP for some advice.

Dd does this. She started age 4. She will be 6 tomorrow. I have found that the more I say or do about it, the more she pulls.
So we ignore, adn she sports a short layered bob. (we found that dd would wind the hair around her finger twice before pulling, so it just needs to be short enough not to go around her finger)
She has not (touch wood) moved onto eyelashes or eyebrows.

My friend's dd does this too (she is 7) She however pulls her eyelashes and eyebrows but has never pulled her hair.

If he is an anxious child, but other than the hairpulling, I would not do anything other than keep his hair short and ignore.

My sister has trich too, she started age 14 and has not yet stopped (she is now 35). She leads a very successful career as a TV producer and it has not held her back. She is beautiful too.

OP I know how you feel, when dd first started pulling her hair I was desperate. Luckily I had some great advice from Sparkly and now I just ignore dd. It does not bother me. Sometimes it is hardly noticeable adn sometimes we have to resort to clips/hairbands to create 'comb-overs' but I have accepted it is what she does.

Hope you are okay.

I started pulling my eyelashes out when I was about 19 during some very tough times at college. I support what the earlier posters have said, i think if he is aware of how it looks he may limit his pulling.
I once pulled out all the eyelashes on the lower lid of one of my eyes but this was an isolated time and I never did it again to the same extent.

I think a gp referral is a good idea. Could you speak to him about what he feels like before he pulls his hair and then try to find different coping strategies for him to use when he feels like this?
I know some professionals who work with children who self harm and they sometimes suggest that the child finds something else that gives them a physical sensation when they are feeling stressed such as putting an ice cube on their arm/ body. Just a thought.