new to the website, but not to trich. PLEASE HELP!

i haven't been doing so great with the hair thing...

Hey, Samara. I'm sorry things aren't going well. Hang in there and try to be strong. What's going on?

i'm just such a disaster area. I feel like i have no one to talk to about this and some other things going on in my life. there are a few people that know about the hair problem, but it's not like they know what to tell me. i don't get the "just don't do it anymore," but i get the "you'll be ok" thing now. telling someone that does not really mean anything in my opinion, it's just trying be nice.

when i get stressed out i go for my hair. and i didn't realize i was doing it. i was doing so well and having so much progress that i stopped monitoring what i was doing and then became completely oblivious to it all.

Could you have a reminder with you all the time, to make you think about why you want to stop? Maybe writing about it on a piece of paper and having it to look at throughout the day might be good.

I have been going through this alone for over 20 years, Samara. Honestly, I think it's best to speak out in places like this, where people that share the same problem can relate to what you are saying. I understand that your friends are concerned, but in MY experience, most of my teenage friends basically walked away from me because they couldn't understand what i was going thru. I have gone through DECADES of heartache, and only today have i found this and one other forum to actually talk about my problem. My girlfriend obviously knows about my problem, and she used toyell at me to stop, but recently she is being much more supportive about this, as i try to explain just what Trich is...

I know that this thing is embarrassing, frustrating, aggravating, depressing....believe me, I KNOW...

We all have stress in our lives, and if you are a teenager or in your 20's...even more so. If you can figure out what is making you depressive or stressed, you are on your way to recovery. If you can speak to a psychologist (at a local mental health facility) ..i would DO IT. I did that years ago, and it changed my life...It helped with almost ALL my symptoms..except the pulling/eating. (I think the Trich still lingers with me because it has become a HABIT, and is no longer a symptom of my mental problems from before.)

IF you or anyone reading this would like to talk/share...I am more than willing to be there. I also am willing to share my 'nasty habit'..if it will help people understand and learn from it. Perhaps the fact that i have been dealing with this for over 20 years might shed a bit of light on things.

Samara wrote:i'm just such a disaster area. I feel like i have no one to talk to about this and some other things going on in my life. there are a few people that know about the hair problem, but it's not like they know what to tell me. i don't get the "just don't do it anymore," but i get the "you'll be ok" thing now. telling someone that does not really mean anything in my opinion, it's just trying be nice.

when i get stressed out i go for my hair. and i didn't realize i was doing it. i was doing so well and having so much progress that i stopped monitoring what i was doing and then became completely oblivious to it all.

thank you for the support guys..
i'm going to try to monitor my problem.. starting now.. again..
and i did go to see someone, but at that time it wasn't helping me, it was too much to take in. i'm going to apply the things i've learned there now though.

It will work Samara, you'll see. You are a strong person. Keep us posted

so i went to a local library and i found a book that is supposed to be for therapists. it basically lays an outline for what trich is and what the therapist should do during sessions. so technically, i shouldn't have this book, but i have been to a therapist specifically for trich and i just got fed up with them. so i've decided to write myself notes and go at my own pace. i would say that was about 3 weeks ago and i have only pulled once. the funny thing is that i haven't tried to consciously apply what i have read yet considering i haven't finished the book and my goal was to just write notes. as i was reading it, it was just too much info to handle all at once and apply it to daily life.

so i'm still trying and it's still a struggle. only a select few know what i actually have, and some others know that i have something but they aren't sure exactly what it is. i don't want to share it because i don't want them to watch me and wait for me to do it. i've recently told a new friend which was hard considering i didn't know her for long but i thought maybe it would help me be stronger by telling someone that i did have something. i told her everything and now she understands that if i seem randomly frustrated its because of this, and its comforting to know that someone half understand instead of being confused.

I'm glad that you're doing this for yourself, Samara. You have to do everything you can to get better and if it helps to educate yourself, that's great
It's comforting when a friend knows what I'm going through for me too.

I just found out this was a condition yesterday from another forum on here. I just thought I was weird.

Turns out I'm surrounded by family members with the same problem just different forms, and I was made to feel bad about it because of the way I do it.

We have nail bitters, and hair twirlers, and my neice has recently started bitting the skin around her fingers, which we're not sure what to do about that.

As a child I pulled my eyelashes and eyebrows out. I only stopped because I ran out. I heard people talking about it and was embarrassed, so when they did grow back I tried to have more self control with it. Since my favorite part is rubbing the roots across my lips, I try to use the same one as long as possible.

I don't pull my hair out, but I do have a habbit of rubbing my hands through it and scratching up the dander.

I haven't stopped any of my habbits, but just lessening them has helped. When I notice my self doing it, I make myself stop.

I would be glad to hear what you medical book suggests.

I too hated going to the shrink. Going actually added to my stress.
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