If you had trich since you were small, what are the...

Things that would've helped you back then.

Our eight year old pulls and eats her hair. it's a pretty mild case, she usually does not have a bald spot, and when she does it's small.

I know it's stress-related, and we try not to make a big deal of it. I know we all need coping mechanisms to deal with stress, and there is no way to make someone's life stress free. Even if you could make life stress-free, I'm not sure that's desirable for developmental purposes, either.

Any thoughts would be appreciated, thank you.

Hi BlackCat5 ,

Have you tried intercepting the behavior and offering an alternative ? Compulsive behavior can be difficult to overcome . It takes a concerted effort . I don't think 8 is too young to start discussing how she feels when the need to pull comes over her and practicing new ways of dealing with stress and the urge to pull . Maybe a small reward system for using alternative methods ?

It may be helpful to get a professional opinion . Best of luck !

I wish I had an answer. I started at 10 and am still struggling at 43. I think it began at about the time I found out I was moving to a new state. My mother found at when I was 11, and she regularly yelled at me over it; she couldn't understand why I didn't just stop.

I would get a counselor involved to try some of the cognitive brain therapy techniques. I believe this involves trying to change the habit to something more harmless like snapping a rubber band or rubbing the earlobe.