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TrichySitch , 20 Feb 2018

Relapse unfortunately/ My Story

I started pulling when I was like ten or so. I think I just had bad dandruff once and accidentally yanked a hair out and soon realized it felt right. I went to therapy for a while until my mom couldn't afford it anymore. I eventually quit on my own when I was like 14 but then I was nervous about a first date at 16 and relapsed. I haven't told my mom but I've relapsed so many times that I just have given up on seeking advice from others. I just created an account on here to help myself stop again. Sometimes I try to Google some very bad cases of trich in order to scare myself into stopping but it doesn't always work. The only things I find that help are not allowing myself to touch my hair other than to style it, and keeping my fingers active. It's kinda sad to relapse because I'm really happy with my life right now. I think I just do it out of impulse or boredom. Hopefully you guys know some tips to help stop, or maybe this has helped someone. I'm an adult now and I hope that I can stop soon because I've read that once you reach adulthood you'll have trich for life and I'd like to be confident someday. Looking forward to it.

3 Answers
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Justtohelp
February 27, 2018
Hey, this sounds identical to my story and I have some advice for you. In order to stop, you have to stop touching your hair period. Fix it in the morning and that's it. Also what I found works is to wear a hat of some sort, this keeps you from touching it and keeps it out of mind. At the age of 12 I buzz cut my hair so even if I wanted to pull out it, I could not. This fixed my problem plus I explained the situation to my school administration and they also let me wear a hat while my hair grew back.
catalina
May 08, 2018
i also started because of dandruff!! i started when i was 15 and i'm now 28. when i was younger it was the worst, with bald patches, asymmetrical short haircutsetc. as i've gotten older i've been able to grow out my hair long. this is just to say that i don't know how old you are but you are ALWAYS able to change a habit and rewire your brain and behavior. this has been proven with many different types of addictions. although i still struggle with trich, i do not suffer from it in the same way as when i was younger: my hair is long and full, although i still have the urge to play with my hair i rarely pull out hairs and most importantly i feel confidence. for me it's mostly been a process of really getting to know myself and having a lot of self awareness of my moods, insecurities, needs and wants, as well as having ways to monitor and reflect my behavior. you can do it!!!
MaryK
September 25, 2018
Hi

I have been pulling my hair out since I was a child. I have never discussed this with anyone in over 30 years and even now hide it from those closest to me. I generally twist my hair with my fingers into knots and then pull it out, mainly from the back of my head. I do it all the time, some mornings I have even woken up with my fingers already twisting my hair. I rarely ever to to hairdressers and when I do I invent stories to explain the state of my hair (hair straighteners damaged my hair, hair brush stuck in my hair which I had to pull out etc...). The shame I feel is palpable and intense. It is such an isolating condition. I’m hoping by writing this I’m finally taking a step to acknowledging my problem. My next step will be to sit my family down tonight and tell them.

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