I've never shared my story in a place like this, but my trich is constantly getting worse and I realize I need help.
I started pulling when I was in 6th grade, about 11 years old. I'm now 19 and it has gotten progressively worse. I always preferred pulling from my scalp because it didn't require tweezers and I could pull virtually anywhere. This resulted in huge bald patches. When my parents first noticed, my dad yelled at me a lot (as if that would actually help...) My mom was very supportive and understanding because she's dealt with the same problem. I used to be able to hide the patches by either changing my part or putting my hair up but last December it became impossible to hide and I decided to shave my head. Being a 19 year old girl, that was really difficult for me. I was very self conscious and no longer felt feminine. My boyfriend at the time broke up with me because he said he was "ashamed" to be seen with me. I thought that being so torn down would be enough motivation to stop pulling, but it wasn't. I've shaved my head about 6 more times since, yesterday being the most recent. It's even more noticeable now because it grows in extremely patchy. I don't want to do this anymore but I'm at a loss. I get stressed about pulling which just causes me to pull more, it's a never ending cycle.
I just want to be happy and feel beautiful again. If anyone has any suggestions at all, I'm open to everything. Thanks so much for taking the time to read my story.