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My best friend has Trichotillomaina
yesterday my friend admitted to me that she had been pulling her eyebrows and eyelashes out for the last four years, I've noticed that she didn't have hair there, but only brought it up once and she never answered ,me then. She told me she started because she thought her eyebrows were too brushy so she removed them and kept removing them then began to get rid of her eyelashes too.
She told me that in 2010 she tried to stop but could only go 6 days before she began again. She told me she pulls at least once every five days. I wanted her to get professional health and she said her mom thinks its just a self-control problem not a medical problem because she doesn't pull the hair on the head out, and her mom won't be willing to pay for professional help.
How can i help her?
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Want to answer more questions in the Health & Fitness category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Mental health?
There is this show called "My Strange Addiction" that airs on TLC every Wednesday night. Everyone featured on the show has addictions such as eating soap and laundry detergent.
One woman has an extreme form of what your friend has. It's extreme in that after she pulls out her hair she likes to eats most of it. In the show, there is a psychiatrist and therapist that both shed light on the disease. You can visit TLC.Discovery.Com or YouTube "My Strange Addiction Hair". I would send the YouTube link myself, but I'm using my iPhone to answer this question. Sorry.
Here's an Internet link to the blog made by users who've seen the show.
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
I suggest, however, checking local listings in your area to see the full episode. This will let your friend better understand her disease and know that she's not alone. Seven million people in the US suffer from this! Crazy, I know!
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I do the same thing, only just the hair on my head. Turns out it's a fairly common symptom of OCD. I don't get medicated for it, so really it is a self control thing. The problem is that it's a constant battle because it's an impulse that doesn't really go away.
The best way to help her is to help her notice when she's doing it. I tend to start plucking when I'm bored, stressed out or distracted. If you notice her doing it, just tell her. Try giving her an incentive like a lunch out if she can go for a month, or something of the sort.
If she can replace the habit with something else that also helps. I've taken up knitting, because otherwise I pull out a ton of hair while I'm watching TV. Anything that keeps her hands busy will help. I also found that instead of pulling out hairs, I will stroke a piece of hair instead. Consciously acknowledging the impulse and redirecting it is effective.
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