On a Memorial Day weekend twelve years ago, our daughter (almost nine years old at the time) pulled half of her eyelashes. The effect upon her and the whole family was profoundly unsettling and disruptive.
In her suffering, she was unable to explain what she had done or why she had done it. As parents, we loudly demanded that she change her behavior. Even though she was not quite nine years old, we thought that she could control this behavior when presented with a high enough level of threatened punishment. How sadly mistaken we were.
We went from psychologist to psychologist. None knew how to treat Trich. One psychiatrist put our beautiful daughter on a medicinal regimen that actually aggravated the urge to pull. It was the worst month of pulling in our daughter’s life.
For those who have a loved one with this disease, we don’t have to tell of the heartbreaking emotions, rejections and whispered slights felt by the sufferer. The isolation is compounded when in public. The looks of shock and surprise are hard not to notice.
We do not recall how we came to know of TLC, but we will never forget the first time calling and hearing Christina’s calm and reassuring voice on the other end. She reached out and touched these bewildered parents.
It is vital to learn the causes and contributing factors of trichotillomania. Only then is it possible to test and compare different treatment modalities. This can only be accomplished through research – and good research costs money.
We are grateful for the unceasing generosity and efforts put forth by Christina and her cohorts and supporters at TLC. We would not know of this disorder were it not for the suffering of our daughter. We consider it a privilege to be able to help bring comfort and knowledge to other sufferers and their loved ones. We are humbled by the true compassion that Christina and TLC bring to helping others to learn to cope.
As recipients of this largesse, we believe it an honor to contribute on an annual basis to help continue this mission.
Maryam and Edward, TLC Members
2 Comments
Hello
I just discovered this website today and its been a bit of a shock – I had this! I pulled out all my eye lashes and sometimes eye brows when i was 8, the same age as your daughter. I am 18 now and most of the time forget about it as i didn’t really know what was going on. I was being manipulated/subtly bullied by the best friend who was 9. I went on for about a year and then i have no idea how i stopped or why i started at all. I must have looked a fright! You say they are doing research on this, what are they researching? It sounds to me like a strange reaction to stress … I still get very very stressed over all sorts of things now but i don’t pull (i even used to wear gloves at night) and i was depressed for a year, 2 years ago. Is this related to me having this??
Hi Sarah! Glad you found us. Th theory is that hair pulling is a coping mechanism of sorts; it’s a self-soothing behavior that one who has it would engage in as a means to soothe the nervous system, because of stress, anxiety, or any other number of reasons. This is what is being researched, the why do we pull, why do some people pull and others don’t, the role of genetics, diet, brain function, etc. on pulling, and what types of treatments work! It’s quite fascinating….check the links under our “Research” section to learn more.