Weird issues with pulling at scalp hair?

I know it sounds terrible and I'm just weird, but for the past several years (I'm 24) I've been enjoying pulling some hair out from my scalp and eyebrows. I've read about this online, as a hair-pulling disease known as trichotillomania. With my thick long hair the outer layer covers parts where I plucked, but I always resorted to eyebrow pencils to cover up half or fully empty eyebrows. As hard as it was, I've gotten to the point where I never pluck eyebrow hair anymore but still enjoy plucking from close to my scalp. I have been to psychiatrists/counselors before for other issues but they're expensive, plus I don't associate my hair pulling with any sort of mental disturbance/stress/anxiety. Its just that I like the feeling of my scalp being able to "breathe" rather than being smothered with too much hair. This is really weird, right? My parents know about this habit of mine and are always proud when I improve...they give me stress balls but I just need to stop. Any other ideas?

well i have the same problem. ive done the same thing for 7 years, and im almost 16. i myself have gone to a therapist but they wanted 30 dollars per 50 minute sessions. that was wayyyy too expensive! honestly, i havent given up pulling because i like how it feels, but i dont like when people notice. i pulled out all of my eyelashes and from then on, i was known as "the girl with no eyelashes" for quite a long time. its sad, yes, but i stopped after that. i was so scared about being a called a freak that i stopped. i haven pulled my eyelashes sense, and that was last year!! i still pull from other areas that i think are ok not to have hair. i know i can stop, i just dont want to. strange huh??

I am 21 years old and I'm going through the same thing so I know exactly how you feel! I have it really bad! Report It

Wow finally someone else has the same problem as my wife, only difference is she has gotten to the point where she has very few hairs left in her eyebrows. How she came to know it was a real problem was one day she was watching OPRAH and she did a show on the disease. There was some people on her show that had huge bald spots in their head from this. They said (and my wife's counselor and psychologist agree) that is a form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I honestly never knew it was a real problem that more people had (other than my wife) till she made me watch the show. Luckily for my wife, she has thick hair and you can't tell she does it to her hair, except when it goes to re-grow in her crown area, the hairs stick upward; but unfortunatly people (especially strangers) always come up to her asking her why she has no eyebrows (or very little). They are still doing studies about this disease. There is a good website to check out, in which I will enclose in my sources, that can lead you to some good information! Maybe you can even order OPRAH's transcripts on her show, however it was a couple of years ago, but it was an excellent and very imformative show (even if you don't care for OPRAH) Good Luck!

I do the very same thing but not the eyebrow thing. I play with my hair when it is down but if it is pulled back I pull at it from the temple area. I now have an almost receding hairline in that area (mostly on the right) whereas I have pretty thick hair. I didn't realize until I saw your question that there was actually a medical name for what I do. Now I'm scared because I just thought it was a nervous habit from fidgeting, etc.

Hi, i have heard about this, there was once a women in ITV good morning talking about it. I dont really know how to help, you should i think go to therapist with this, because it is associated with some problem which you might not see. or . maybe, why dont you then have a very short hair cut, if you are saying you enjoy feeling of your scalp being able to breathe.

I had the same problem. When I was in the 5th grade, I started pulling my hair out. I went and saw a doctor but she said that it was stress related. I noticed it wasn't, it was when I was bored now. What I've done is limited myself little by little. I said to myself right when I woke up, only pull 5 strands today. And then suddenly I was just disgusted with myself doing it, and I haven't pulled for about a month or two now. Im a freshman in high school. and i look back at old pictures and it makes me sick to my stomach that i could do that to myself. try that method. just talking to yourself and limiting yourself til you get sick of it. Good luck!

Google "Trichotillomania".