Dd1 pulling out eyelashes and eyebrows

[lisad123]

Background for anyone who doesn't know.
Dd1 is 9 and has dx of autism. She's very high functioning.
Last month I caught her pulling out eyelashes and since then haven't tried to mention it. However, she now has a large amount of eyebrow missing which she has been pulling.
She's not due back to Camhs till sept.
I'm aware of another close family memeber with the disorder known as trigatellimania (sp?)
Anyone know much? Do I mention it to her or just not bring it up.

Well I tried to look up your spelling and ended up with a list of gay porn dvds so I gave that a miss!

Does she do it infront of you lisad? or is it when she is off guard like watching tv.

Not sure wether to mention it or not as I guess its not the same as tics but I know from old if I asked DS to stop it made it worse.

Could you try keeping a couple of stress balls handy and insist she puts them in her hands and squeezes and releases for 5 or 10 minutes till the urge wares off? perhaps reward her for her endurance in not doing it?

try this. Might be US spelling though

I have name changed for this but am a regular on the SN boards.

Sorry I can't give much advice. I do have a habit of pulling my eyelashes and eyebrows when stressed . It is something about the sting that is soothing. There is also some kind of weird satisfaction in seeing how many hairs I can pull out in one go. . I know it sounds bizarre. I am just trying to give an insight into how people with this condition feel.

I don't do it all the time and I've never progressed to pulling hair from my head, so I've never sought out help.

I would try distraction. Is she verbal enough to tell you when she feels the need to do it?

p.s. just reading this made me pull my eyebrows. The mere mention of the condition automatically makes my hand go to my face.

I pull my eyebrows too. Its is incredibly satisfying. But i make a massive effort no to otherwise they get patchy. Definitely worse with stress. The DDs tell me when i'm doing it, which reminds me to stop.

Thank goodness I'm not the only one!

Ds did this, it's trichotillomania. He managed to remove 75% of the hair on his head all his eyelashes and his eyebrows. It was at a time when his anxiety was particularly high.
We saw a dermatologist so that he could be checked for any underlying conditions that might lead to his hair coming out more easily or any irritation to his scalp but he was clear and so it was deemed a behavioural problem.
Obviously lowering the anxiety helped but we also gave him a tufted teddy that he plucked bald (he liked rolling the hair between his fingers)
You need to try and address this because the dermatologist advised that repeated plucking could damage the roots and then the hair might not grow back.
Now he leaves his head alone but he does pull out underarm hair I think because it annoys him so a benefit of puberty and not such a worry if it stops growing back I suppose.

Thanks for advice. She hides it, I have only seen her doing it once, but now thinking of it her hair has become very matted which might be hair as well and eye pulling

I will see if I have something to replace it but guessing she's getting certain amount of relief/pleasure from the pulling.

She is very anxious and one of the reasons she under a psychotherapist.