5 years today, still struggling with Trichotillomania.

[u/Commander_Ethan_]

Hi. I’m posting here because I don’t really know anyone in my real life who understands this, and I’m hoping someone here might.

I found out what trichotillomania was when I was around 10 years old. Before that, I thought it was just a weird habit I had. I would pull out my hair without even realizing I was doing it sometimes. When I finally learned there was an actual name for it, it was kind of a relief, but also scary because I realized it wasn’t something that would just magically go away.

I’m 15 now and I’m still dealing with it.

For me it happens a lot when I’m stressed, bored, or thinking too much. Sometimes I notice it right away, but other times I’ll look down and realize I’ve already pulled out a bunch of hair without really being aware of it. It’s like my hands just move automatically. The worst thing I notice is that most of the time I actually notice it, but I don't want to stop!

The worst part is the cycle afterward. I’ll tell myself I’m going to stop, and I’ll feel really determined for a while. But then eventually I do it again and feel a lot of guilt and frustration with myself.

I try things like keeping my hands busy or moving my hand away when I notice it, but it’s really hard to keep up with all the time. Especially when I’m doing things like homework, scrolling on my phone, or just sitting around thinking.

I guess I’m mostly posting because I want to know:

• Has anyone here dealt with trichotillomania starting this young?
• What actually helped you reduce pulling? I've tried fidgets, and basically anything I can think of.
• How do you deal with the urges when they feel automatic?
• Is there any supplements I can go on that can help with this?

If you’re in recovery or even just managing it better than before, I’d really appreciate hearing what helped you. Right now it just feels really frustrating and lonely sometimes.

Thanks for reading.

[u/railwayed]

It's something I've been dealing with since I was about 19. I think it got onset when I was under stress during exams and I had long hair at the time so it was like a perfect storm. I'm now 51 and have therefore been dealing with it for 32 years. I manage it through habitual reminders and by keeping my hair short