According to the Trichotillomania Learning Center (TLC), up to 11 million people in the U.S. suffer from the uncontrollable impulse to pull out their hair. As a child, I was one of the sufferers.

When I was about ten years old and in the fifth grade, I developed an overwhelming and unexplainable impulse to twist and pull out the hair on my scalp. This psychological disorder, known as trichotillomania, \”trich\”, or TTM for short, has features similar to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). My trichotillomania disrupted my life well into my mid-twenties.

By the time I was in the sixth grade, I had developed noticeable bald spots on the top of my head. Short stubble was all that was left in places that once grew thick curly brown hair. I felt completely powerless to resist my hair-pulling impulses. Several of my classmates teased me about my hair pulling and the baldness it left in its wake. To avoid any further humiliation, I was habitually absent or truant from school.

I remember having few friends and spending a great deal of time alone. For reasons I\’ll never understand, some people thought I was pulling out my hair intentionally. All of my negative feelings triggered more anxiety inside of me, which in turn led to more episodes of hair-pulling. Later on, I developed major clinical depression and other psychological problems.

At that time, my once-stable and happy family life was going through a major transition. My parents purchased a huge money pit of a home in an upscale neighborhood of Los Angeles. To make ends meet, mom went back into the workforce and grandma moved in to help \”care\” for me and my younger sister. Permissive toward me and abusive toward my sister, grandma was not a good caregiver for any child.

My parents eventually evicted grandma, but the emotional and psychological disruptions she created left a permanent toll on my family. This unhappy chapter in my family\’s life marked the beginning of a long and bitter unraveling process in my family, one that has left me irreconcilably estranged from both of my parents, now divorced.

The causes of trichotillomania are unclear, and even less was known about it in the early 1980s. Back then, my pediatrician told me to wear a hat or write a \”secret code\” on my desk as a reminder to refrain from hair pulling. Grandma rubbed garlic into my bald spots and taught me reflexology exercises purportedly designed to cure baldness. Various ointments and creams were also employed.

I tried keeping my hands busy with an alternative activity. My parents enrolled me in individual therapy sessions with a child psychologist. Unfortunately, none of these interventions did anything to help me with my trichotillomania, leaving me feeling confused, frustrated, hopeless, and alone.

At some point in my mid-twenties, I was fortunate enough to grow out of my trichotillomania. Less than a year shy of my fortieth birthday, I\’ve felt no compulsion to pull out my hair for fifteen years.

Trichotillomania is a serious disorder that disrupts lives and can lead to other psychological problems. There are many effective treatment options for trichotillomania that weren\’t available when I was a child. Even though I eventually grew out of my hair-pulling, this problem can last a lifetime for many people who are untreated.

I strongly urge anyone suffering from trichotillomania to seek professional help immediately.

A native of Los Angeles, Jason Castellucci has been a professional writer since 1996. He suffered from trichotillomania for over 13 years. He and his wife Sativa live in Lake Havasu City, Ariz.

MayoClinic.com recognizes hypnosis as a safe and effective treatment for trichotillomania. HypnosisDownloads.com has the tools to get started immediately with hypnotherapy for compulsive hair-pulling.

A native of Los Angeles, Jason Castellucci has been a professional writer since 1996. He suffered from trichotillomania for over 13 years. He and his wife Sativa live in Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
http://www.stop-hair-pulling.info

Author Bio: A native of Los Angeles, Jason Castellucci has been a professional writer since 1996. He suffered from trichotillomania for over 13 years. He and his wife Sativa live in Lake Havasu City, Ariz.

MayoClinic.com recognizes hypnosis as a safe and effective treatment for trichotillomania. HypnosisDownloads.com has the tools to get started immediately with hypnotherapy for compulsive hair-pulling.

Category: Wellness, Fitness and Diet
Keywords: trichotillomania,trich,ttm,hair pulling,obsessive,ocd,obsessive compulsive disorder,impulse disorder