Hi, I just found this site :)

Hello everyone, I just found this site after suffering a really bad pulling session last night

A little bit about me: I'm a 20 year old guy, I've been pulling mostly my eyelashes/facial hair since I was about 8 (I think). My parents were never very understanding about the issue. Ever since I was little, they would just get mad and upset when I pulled my eyelashes out, and they would just say "you have to stop!" (which seems to be a common response from those who don't understand/haven't experienced trich). So I went on living my life thinking I was weird or abnormal for pulling out my eyelashes. My parents would either become upset or just ignore it if I ever brought the subject up. I think I was 15 when I found out that I had trichotillomania, just by doing an internet search for "pulling eyelashes." Since then, I've been doing slightly better (I think just the knowledge that I wasn't alone helped) - the last 5 years I have gone through several periods as long as a month without pulling - but it always returns, usually in a bout of depression or stress.

Now I'm in college. This past summer, I went my longest period of no pulling, about a month and a half or so. My eyelashes almost fully regrew. But as soon as I got back to school, when the stress of school work starting kicking in, I went back to pulling. It was my really bad pulling session last night that caused me to once again look up trich online (and then find this site).

Anyways, that's my story. I think my trich has significantly hurt my relationships with others, because I already lacked self-confidence, but when I have big empty spots on my eyelashes/eyebrows it makes me just want to stay inside all day and not interact with people lest they comment on my "condition." I can't afford (and honestly don't want to) see a doctor / get therapy or anything (and I know some say that it's not possible without that - but I don't think so. I've been able to go for a month using just my own will, so theoretically why couldn't I go a year? Ten years?)

Nonetheless, I am really happy I found this forum. It looks like there are a lot of supportive people here with great advice. I hope to post on here occasionally and get to know some of you and offer support and such. Nice to meet you all!

hey,

You came across as being upbeat in your post. you're right too - people who don't understand these things always just say to 'stop'. That's fine, but they really don't have a clue what it's like to have an obsession such as trich. I like your logical thinking whereby you use the fact that you've gone one month without pulling to say that you should be able to go a year or more without pulling. Maybe a year is even too much, however, as minor setbacks can occur along the way. I think you've highlighted the cause of your trich though: Stress. Perhaps 'solving' the trich issue is not about tackling it directly, but tackling the causes of the underlying stress.

Good luck my friend,

Kevin