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Trich is a nickname for Trichotillomania, which stands for hairpulling disease. (Trich-hair or till-pulling or mania-disease).
This article is about Trichotillomania, which is an obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) which involves hairpulling. It also falls into the category of self mutilation.
When does this disorder begin?
This disorder can begin as early as infant and continue throughout their whole life. Some are able to control the pulling by focusing on other things, being put on antidepressant and anxiety medications,and speaking with a pychologist;while others can't control their hairpulling at all.
How does it start?
No one really knows how Trichotillomania starts, or even the causes of the hairpulling. So many people have so many different reasons. It can come from being upset over something or someone and then taking it out on themselves by pulling hair out sitting in front of a mirror with a pair of tweezers and pulling their hair out. Others don't know why they do, they just do. Some started as an infant child and pulled out the fuss from their blankets and as they got older, they start to play and pull hair from their heads.
Where do they pull out hair?
They pull hair from their eyebrows, eyelashes, scalp & even pubic areas of their body. Once they start, it seems that they can't control it and continue to pull until they are bald. They walk around with no eyelashes or brows or scalp hair. Not all people with Trich pull from everywhere. Some may just pull from the eyes and brows, while others will be totally bald and need to wear a wig.
How do they deal with Trich?
They learn to deal with it or accept what they are by a form of camouflaging. By that I mean for those who have no eyebrows, then they pencil them in with an eye pencil to create eyebrows. For those who have no eyelashes, they also use an eye pencil to outline their eyes so that they appear to have eyelashes. Then of course for the people who pull out all their hair from their scalp until they are completely bald, they wear a wig.
How do friends and family deal with loved ones who have Trichotillomania?:
My own experience.
Well, in my own experience with a 16 year old daughter, who has been pulling since she was 12 years old, I can tell you it was a hard bridge to cross. My daughter and I battled for a long time, because I could never understand why she couldn't stop pulling her hair out. It was very frustrating to me and I found it embarrassing to explain it to anyone else when they realized she was pulling out her hair.
I never saw her doing the actual act of pulling; but in looking at her eyes, that at one time had big bushey eyebrows and lovely long eyelashes, there would be absolutely no hair to look at. She had no eyelashes to apply mascara to at the age she would be allowed to use makeup.
It's very depressing for the family. But fortunately, we grew to live with her choice and as long as she is happy with herself, then we all just have to deal with Trich.
My daughter was put on 60mg of Prozac medication for depression and seems to be doing better. She is not cured, nor will she probably ever be cured, but like I said before in my article, she is dealing with it. She, for now, has eyebrows grown back in, and her eyelashes are growing sporatically, but she has some lashes back. This is a big step for her and we are very happy.
Where can you get support and information?
An excellent source of information and help that is available to learn all that is needed is to go to the website: TRICHOTILLOMANIA. There you will find links to get all the information and support needed to help you.
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