pulling out hair

hello.
I've been pulling out my eyebrows and pubic hair for two years. I also pull at my hair sometimes. Is this a symptom of anxiety? Does it have harmful effects?

[smlutz]

Maybe stop doing this action?  I mean this is something that you can directly stop doing, your brain isn't forcing you to pull out your pubes and eyebrows...

[whitecat78]

yeah it is called Trichotillomania.  I have been pulling my  hair out since 12 and never stopped. I find it a very hard habit to break.  I think the sensation of it feels good, so how does one stop? I don't think its physically harmful unless you swallow the hair.

[WendyLady03]

There is a disorder called Trichotillomania where people have an overwhelming urge to pull out their hair. It's a serious condition, like OCD, so it would be really, really hard to simply stop doing it. I think this disorder usually starts in adolescence, around 13 or so. It can be treated the same way that many of us are treated for anxiety...with psychotherapy and possible medications like antidepressants. The causes for Trichotillomania can include genetics or neuorchemical imbalances, so if you are having issues with anxiety then pulling your hair could very well be caused by the anxiety. The anxiety may have caused it, but again the hair pulling is another disorder that developed and also needs to be treated. Just like how a lot of people with anxiety problems also have OCD. Both disorders need to be treated.

The harmful effects include permanent hairloss where the hair being pulled just eventually stops growing back, or you can cause damage to the skin where you've been pulling the hair. I imagine it probably causes a lot of emotional distress as well, which could very well lead to more problems with depression or anxiety.

I think you should make an appointment with your doctor and let them know what's going on to make sure that's it's not a more serious medical problem. Then you can start taking whatever steps need to be taken to overcome this disorder.

Good luck, I hope this helped!

[arianna420]

I've had Trichotillomania ever since I was around 11.  I've lived most of my life without any eyelashes...  I hate it so much, I always thought I was ugly at that age, and that made things a whole lot worse. Every now and then, I managed to stop for a few months or even a year... When I moved to Japan 3 years ago, I stopped and instead picked up on anorexia >..< FML

They're starting to grow back at least.  I've never known any men with it, but I hear that they often pull pubic hairs and eyebrows.  This is often related to OCD.  It really helped me when I went on wellbutrin... maybe you should look into it