Anyone else suffer from trichotillomania ... just wanted to talk a little ...

[wishingchair]

I started pulling my eyebrows when I was 13/14 and my parents divorced, my mum met someone else and we all moved from our family home to a new house with my now stepdad. I love my stepdad, mum, dad, stepmum dearly and it was a very amicable divorce. That said, any divorce is stressful and life is hard at that age anyway. I can remember exactly where I was when I first did it.

Now 20 years on, I still do it. Not severely ... I still have fairly normal eyebrows but if there are any hairs that aren't lying flat, I have to pull them out. I do it when I'm not doing anything (reading/watching tv etc) with my hands and do it without thinking but I do it more when stressed ... this last year has been hard as DH diagnosed with a brain tumour so eyebrows have been a bit more patchy than usual. It's occasionally bothered me but because it wasn't severe enough to mean I don't actually have any eyebrows, it's not particularly distressing. I do also bite/pick my lips ...

But today I caught myself doing it and just did a quick google ... and I saw it classified as a form of OCD and described as a chronic condition. Now I feel a bit weird about it ... a chronic condition? Is it a symptom of a deep seated psychological disorder??!

Anyone else suffer from this and had success in stopping doing it and how do you feel about the OCD/chronic condition thing? I always thought it was just a bit like nail biting but different ...

Sorry all, I've just realised that I may have slightly hijacked the thread. Many apologies

lol, I am sure WC doesn't mind. Its not a condition you can just chat about freely.

No definitely do not mind at all! I think people are getting a bit more open about talking about this kind of thing don't you think ... maybe only with close friends or trusty mumsnetters though .

Wouldn't talk to my mum though as would hate her to know when/why I started. She'd be devastated.

So I'm making concerted effort not to touch my eyebrows and so far I haven't today but do you know what I'm doing instead? Twirling my hair. I obviously need something to do with my hands.

for your little one SGK ... you would think that though wouldn't you? Those sympathetic looks must've been heartbreaking.

WC - I also twiddle my hair but if you're not pulling it out then that seems fine. Sometimes when I get wound up I just sit and twiddle faster and faster until I see myself looking a bit weird with it and wonder what others would say if they saw me!

We all have habits that calm us down and twiddling seems to be an outlet for me.

curlywurlywee, my dd pulls her hair. She will twirl it around her finger and then pull at it - it comes out approx 10 strands at a time.

She did it most in her last term at nursery. All the staff kept going on and on about going to big school in Sept, and I think it freaked her out a little.

She still pulls, and certain areas of her hair are sparse. I combat this by keeping her hair short (very short at the back, and a very short - earlobe lenght- bob at the front) In addition, she will go to school wearing a hairband (unique combination with the short hair, but hey there is nothing wrong in being different ) and those two things combined are keeping her hair in a reasonable state.
She also bites the skin around her nails and comes home from school every day with a new plaster on at least one of her fingers because she has made it bleed.

The thing is, outwardly she is very sociable and confident. But inwardly she obviosly is a little bundle of nerves.

I hope she will outgrow it, when I was panicking about dd last year SGK was fab and very reassuring. So yes, I am sure she will outgrow it

And you know, my sister suffers from trich; very succesfull bbc career, very pretty, popular, intelligent, normal, but always wears a hairband or hat. And in addition to SGK it proves to me that grown ups can lead a perfectly happy life with this condition.
In fact, I only found out about my sister last year when I was discussing dd with her. My sister has had this since she was 14 and I never ever noticed!

And now I will apologize for this monster post, sorry , must learn to be short and concise...

oops sorry, the OP was wishingchair... sorry

Oh gawd, what did I say to make you go

I always open mouth, think later...

sorry

no it was the praise!! it was lovely..

just wanted to add my twopenceworth.

I pull my eyelashes out. Never thought it was that weird. Now I have a mania! Oh gawd.

ACtually I try not to do it too much cos I have fair features anyway and otherwise I can't put mascara on and I end up looking like Boris Becker.

Em x

Oh, Ems, Boris Becker, surely not?? Don't worry about suddenly having a mania, all the best people do you know

To SGK:

I have suffered from this for about a year and I have wanted to talk to someone else with this but sadly no one I know also suffers from this.

Hi Geo
This is a very old thread why not start another one and then maybe other people suffering with this condition might want to chat?