Trichotillomania - Hair Pulling Disorder

My best friend had it and she was a Math Professor. She would make a deal with her students that if they all made a certain grade she would shave her head. It worked well because by the time she got into the semester she would really start plucking. She always had to shave her head but it was really the desired outcome from her point of view. I recommend you search out a new therapist. This can be treated with meds.

She has moved away and we don't talk anymore but here's a link to her old web page, it doesn't work anymore, she closed it down because people kept taking her information and posting it in newspapers and stuff, but you can see how short she kept her hair. It made it so much easier to manage and she had already plucked out her eyebrows and eyelashes.

http://organizedwisdom.com/Stephs_Trichotillomania_Pages/...

Looked up Trich treatment in El Paso and got a couple of results, don't know if it's who you're seeing but here they are anyway.

She does impulse control therapy, also does kids.
http://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/prof_detail.php...

He does impulse therapy too but only seems to take older kids and adults, does hypnosois too.
http://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/prof_detail.php...

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And finally here is the link I got their names from, the other two don't seem to have the impulse control therapy listed on their specialities.

http://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/prof_results.ph...

My daughter has not been officially diagnosed with this condition, however, I believe that she has it. She has pulled out most of her eyebrow hairs and all of her upper eyelashes. There is a lot of info on the web about this. I would read up (I'm in the process myself) and then try to find a behavioral counselor who has good peds experience. The hardest steps for us were figuring out what was going on and when. When the eyelashes were coming out, there were a lot of styes and eye infections. I couldn't tell that this was self inflicted for a while, and my daughter really didn't seem to know she was doing it for a long time. Finally, we figured out she is pulling in bed in the dark after we tuck her in before she falls asleep. Now, we put lotion on her hands and gloves to " help with dry skin" and this helps break the pattern or routine of pulling. If you are able to isolate triggers or times when he does the pulling you may be able to break the behaviour. I'm stunned that the counselor didn't know anything about this -- I'm almost 40 and I've known about the condition since I was 6 -- my mom worked w/ someone whose child pulled. Good luck -- to us both! Try Children's Memorial for a child psych or a referral.

I am a fourth grade teacher, and I taught a student with this same disorder. My first piece of advice is to find a new counselor. It is often associated with anxiety, and there has been enough studies done that someone can help you and your son. At school we were able to do little things to help, such as holding a squeeze ball and attaching a velcro strip to the underside of the desk. Trichotillomania also has to do with sensory issues (the need to have the fingers stimulated). Your son needs to replace his hair with something else, and these tricks did help my student a little. Also, talk with your son's school social worker. He/she may have more ideas and tricks to help.

My daughter is now 18. She got this in 6th grade! She pulled out most of her eyebrows and was not even aware of it!! We never took her to a counselor but I researched on the web. Never could determine what makes them do it but learned how to help. We got her a squeeze ball, squishy things to put on her pens/pencils, cute erasers, plastic finger tips. Anything to have in her hands to play with while reading. We noticed most of hers came from anxiety over reading and comprehension which she has always struggled with! Her favorite thing was latex (good quality) balloons filled with flour!! She even sold some at school to friends!! lol We talked with the teachers and told them so they would not take away the toys,etc. Plus we just asked them if they saw her absentmindedly doing this in class to walk by and touch her desk or move her hand but not call it out for the other kids to tease her. Perhaps you could get permission to let him wear a cap so it is harder to get to his hair. We did the same at home. After about 9 months, she stopped. Thank goodness because some of the websites said this lead to cutting/tweezing hair/etc. And some said the kids would eat the hairs which are bad for the stomach. For our experience, it was harmless except for the kids teasing.
Medically, they do have cremes that will make it so the hair is slick and can't be pulled.
I agree with the others-find another counselor or do your own research-plenty of it is on the web.
BTW, I grew up in El Paso.

My son had the same problem. He also pulls out the hair on his arms. Started when he was about 6 and continued until he was about 9. We haven't had any issues for about a year. He still pulls out the hair on his arms, but has full eyebrows and a head of hair! He does have Tourette's Syndrome and ADHD. We think it is caused by anxiety caused by trying to control his tics.

I believe that focusing too much on it might just cause more anxiety. His pediatrician handled it very well ... told him that it was not a big deal, and that it was just a nervous habit like nail biting. I think that this matter-of-fact attitude has helped him to quit.

He was self conscious about it because he had no eyebrows and BIG bald patches on his head. He wanted to quit, but was having trouble. We tried not to make a big deal about it, but also asked for his input for ways to stop, or got his buy in if the idea was ours. If he didn't agree, then we let it go. Here are some of the things we ended up doing:
*We shaved his head a few times to help him break the habit.
*We got permission from the school for him to wear a baseball cap. I took him to the store and let him choose some caps that he really liked.
*He would tell us that his hair was tangled, and that he just wanted to undo the tangles. We started using lots of conditioner on his hair which made it more slippery. We also got him a comb which he kept in his backpack. We got permission from his teacher to let him use the comb during class if he noticed he was pulling his hair.
*We gave him things to put in his pocket to distract him.

It took him a few tries to quit. His hair would grow back, and then, one day, he would come home from school one day with a bald spot. Eventually, he did quit. If you don't let it affect you (yes, it's hard to have a kid that looks like a chemo patient!) then he will quit. Good luck!

I am a therapist and am surprised that the counselor would treat your son if s/he hardly knew about the condition. This is a condition that has been known for years and there are effective treatments. I would also suggest finding a new counselor that does know how to treat it and working closely with them.

Best,
S.

Find another counselor. Although there hasn't been enough study on a lot of things, this really sounds like a nervous habit like biting nails. Some people don't even realize they are doing it until their nails are bleeding. I'm sure there are ways to teach him to snap when he's doing it, but I don't know how. I would seek other counseling. There has to be something out there that is even similar that will help with problem. I'm sorry that he is doing this.

I pulled my eyelashes for 20 years. I'm normal--earned a bachelors degree in business and landed a job that made me 6 figures. I'm telling you this so that you or other people won't think your son has some problem or issues that may affect him leading a normal life. Its just this nasty little habit that I couldn't kick.

I started pulling in college and I am a FIRM believer that this condition, which is an OCD condition is linked to anxiety. The day I quit my job and became a SAHM, I stopped pulling and have long full lashes. I understand your child is VERY young, it's just my opinion.

Psychiatrist ARE expensive and I don't think insurance covers it which is disappointing. That behavioral counselor you went to is not acceptable. This disorder affects millions, the counselor should have known about it or done some research. Talk to your pediatrician and have him/her lead you in the right direction. This disorder has been around forever and there are people out there who have studied it and have treatment options. You just need to find them.
I didn't get help but wished I would have.

If your pediatrician can't help, call another and another. Call your friends pediatricians. Get on line and start researching.

Lastly, my previous employer had a benefit that many companies provide but don't really "advertise". Its an employee benefits department that can provide you with treatment for members of your family for emotional issues, behavioral issues, counseling. For example, they referred me AND paid for 8 free visits for my daughter to see a therapist after a death in the family. Also provided free marriage counseling. It is NOT the same dept. as health insurance. Talk to your family's employers benefits dept., maybe HR and see if they can provide any assistance. IT is confidential.

Find a professional that deals with this type of disorder. Phone your local hospital and ask if they have anyone capable of dealing with this disorder in your area. Good luck.

L.

Actually, I never knew it was a condition or anything, but I used to pull my hair out as a child. I'd lay in front of the TV and just pull pull pull until eventually my grandmother watched me and noticed I had a big bald spot on the back of my head. She scolded me and told me to stop pulling my hair out, and when I realized I had a bald spot I quit because I didnt want to get teased at school. Thinking back on it, I liked the way it felt, I know it sounds weird but there was just a certain spot that it felt good, I havent done it since then or have had the urge to, I guess it was just a habit that came from no where. I was probably 10 at the time maybe ? It's hard to give advice even though I used to do it, I guess to me the sensation just felt good. I can't really come up with any other reason that I did it. Anyhow, my grandmother would just scold me every time she saw me start to do it, and eventually I quit ! Sorry I can't offer more advice, but just know your son isn't alone .

Updated

Actually, I never knew it was a condition or anything, but I used to pull my hair out as a child. I'd lay in front of the TV and just pull pull pull until eventually my grandmother watched me and noticed I had a big bald spot on the back of my head. She scolded me and told me to stop pulling my hair out, and when I realized I had a bald spot I quit because I didnt want to get teased at school. Thinking back on it, I liked the way it felt, I know it sounds weird but there was just a certain spot that it felt good, I havent done it since then or have had the urge to, I guess it was just a habit that came from no where. I was probably 10 at the time maybe ? It's hard to give advice even though I used to do it, I guess to me the sensation just felt good. I can't really come up with any other reason that I did it. Anyhow, my grandmother would just scold me every time she saw me start to do it, and eventually I quit ! Sorry I can't offer more advice, but just know your son isn't alone .

My 8 yr old daughter started with skin picking on her arms and legs. She is ADHD w/ ODD, and now this. She recently started the hair pulling until she had a small bald spot on top of her head. It progressed rapidly and we very recently noticed that if you lift up her hair in the back, underneath is completely bald. We are seeing her therapist this week to try and get some answers and try to figure out how to help our daughter.

I did this when I was little. I didn't get diagnosed with anything and am not sure that anyone was even aware of it, but me.

I always found the point on top of my head where the hair "swirls" as it were, and pulled one single strand at a time. I couldn't stand to pull more. And, sorry to be so graphic, but, eventually, there would be a big enough tender spot that it would scab over. I then had to pick the scab.

Because I never saw a counselor for it, I can only give you my layman's opinion. It was a nervous habit, and the more nervous I was, the more I picked/pulled. I eventually quit doing it, but the bad news is that I just moved on to another self-destructive but invisible habit. Prior to the hair pulling, I had bitten my fingernails until there was just about nothing left to bite.

The bottom line to my reply is that you must get to the bottom of whatever aggitation is causing this habit. And, in my opinion, until that is solved, you need to find another non-self-destructive habit for him to engage in until he can resolve or learn to deal with his stressors. (for my 9 year old, when I found him chewing on his thumbs, I got him a bunch of those rubber "Live Strong" type bracelets and he chewed those until he moved on and lost the habit.) - Edited because I forgot to put the ending parenthesis on my statement. :)

Definetly find another counselor. I have had the condition since I was 9 years old. Trich is quite complicated and different than most OCD's in that sufferers habits are all different and there are many different things that can work . Behavioral therapy works well for many. Meds only made me worse for all the wrong reasons.There is a book How to Trick the Trich. With alot of good info. But I will tell you that I have found a WONDERFUL man had 4 children and will probally still deal with it for the rest of my life.Please be diligent if helping you son if my family would have helped me in the very beginning I could be a lot better now. Good Luck
T. K

I recommend a child psychiatrist, (which may sound extreme) but he can easily evaluate your son for anxiety and refer to a therapist who could help. He can also prescribe medication if he sees need for that. The common cause of trichotillomania is anxiety and a child psychiatrist can get to the root cause.

S.,
I am curious if you ever found help in El Paso. We just moved here over the summer and since we've been here my daughter has pulled out all of her eyelashes. I would love to find a specialist who has dealt with this before. Thanks!

Trichotilllomania is most often part of anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder. There actually is a lot known about these symptoms, though they're hard. I would suggest, from both professional and family experience that you find a child psychiatrist who is interested in or specializes in OCD. There is medication that is used with children as well as adults. Good luck.

Updated

Trichotilllomania is most often part of anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder. There actually is a lot known about these symptoms, though they're hard. I would suggest, from both professional and family experience that you find a child psychiatrist who is interested in or specializes in OCD. There is medication that is used with children as well as adults. Good luck.

Here is a question I read before that talks about this and other similar bad habits:
http://www.mamapedia.com/questions/2981914410072735745
Some of the answers mention anxiety, sensory issues, ADHD, obsessive compulsive behavior, and side effects from medications as possible causes.

I was just told about the natural supplement N-acetyl cysteine by another mom who had success with it for her daughter. I'm going to the health food store to buy it today for my 6 year old who pulls out her eyelashes. You can google it for more info. Good luck!