Trichotillomania (Hair Pulling) Support Group

I just wanted to clear up something.

Trich is not an OCD. Many Dr.'s are still not educated about it. I for one was told for yrs it was a habit and to just "stop it". I found out this past Dec. 07 what it was. That it has a real name, that it is a real disorder, not a bad habit.

Trich is considered an ICD (Impulse Control Disorder) more detailed explanation is given up in the recommendation area. We need to educate others so they get the right help.

ICD vs OCD - A person with OCD knows they are doing their routine. ICD the person can almost "zone out" and not realize that they are pulling. That is a basic version of breaking it down mind you.

Another way is that a person with extreme OCD will feel that something bad will happen if they do not do their routine. i.e. check that the doors are locked X amount of times. Or wash there hands X amount of times. Or that things are just not right if the items on the table are not positioned just the right distance from each other. There is definite thought into it. An OBSESSION.

Hair pulling is unconscious. When stressing or under anxiety we tend to pull to relieve it. Often not even knowing we are doing it. It is an IMPULSE.

This is how I tried to explain it once: It's like somehow once we pulled a hair or a bunch when mad and it somehow relieved the stress/anxiety (transferred the anger). Our brain remembered that. So then next time we got upset and couldn't show it, had to hold it in, say to a teacher or parent we pulled. Then our brain twisted that feeling into comfort because it felt good to be able to relieve that tension somehow. That is why we not only pull when we are stressed and feeling anxiety but also when we are relaxing, watching TV, reading, trying to fall asleep.

We now have to re-train our brain to do something else when upset, either by communicating our feeling to the one upsetting us, writing a journal, exercising. We also need to teach ourselves to do something else with our hands when we feel those feelings.

But that is only the 1st step. We have to get past the comfort pulling also. That for me is the harder one. For that many us the stress balls to squeeze, putting band aids on the pulling fingers. Depending on where you pull from, keeping that area conditioned with a product that keeps the hairs slippery so they are harder to grasp. To stay in the company of others (most Trichs don't pull around others).

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Another thing....to say that stress is my trigger. Well yes stressful events can trigger you. But to say stress is so general. You need to pin point the exact thing that caused the stress/anxiety and deal with it.

So for me to say when I stress out I pull is like duhhhh. But if I say when I'm around my Mother I pull is facing the issue. My Mother is my trigger. My Mother CAUSES my stress.

So if for you if you are now going to college and are worried about fitting into campus life and keeping up your grades then that would be your trigger. Not just saying its stress. It helps to pin point it and say/write it out. Face it straight on. Chip away at the mountain and it gets smaller. If that is your trigger what can you do to make it bearable? Instead of living in a doom try housing off campus? Instead of a full schedule try just a few classes until you see how college life is like? ease into it.

The way I've learned to deal with mine since learning about Trich and that my Mother is my main trigger, yes I have others. Is to limit my time around her. I still go around and love her. But I've learned that I can't change her so I have to change me. I can't let her get to me like she used to. When I feel her stressing me out I politely find an excuse why I need to leave and I go.
Posted on 03/03/08, 12:03 pm