Do I have trichotillomania?!

Question: Do I have trichotillomania?

Although I don't pull out the hairs on my head, I do pull out some of the hairs (using tweezers) on my eyebrows, eyelashes, legs, arms, armpits, and occasionally the hair on my bikini line. I do this every day and I know it's not normal. Also, some people may think it hurts, but i dont really care/feel it as much as people think i do. Iv been doing this for a couple years now and no one knows about it (well till now). Do I have this disorder or is it just a bad habit? And if I do, how do I stop??

Answers:

The short answer, is yes. This PubMed Health article on Trichotillomania explains that it is not just pulling out scalp hair, but any bodily hair as well, and not just pulling it out, but twisting your hair, or removing any hair (compulsively) by means of a tweezer. When I say compulsively, it is because many consider this to be a form of OCD.

Hopefully, when you remove this body hair of yours, you're not ingesting it because that is called Trichophagia and can lead to complications such as a bowel obstruction and you REALLY don't want to go there!

The above-referenced article has a couple of ways to stop the Trichotillomania-related behaviors, BTW. Good luck to you.

I hadn't realized what all counts as Trichotillomania and just found out I technically have it as a 30 y.o. male! :| I had no idea that twisting it and creating thinning patches by pulling it out... I have long hair in some spots and thin hair in others. I rub up against the thinned out spots, and twirl the long spots when I stress out and it makes me chill out. After reading the article, that's almost a direct quote of the symptoms when people have thinner spots in some places and longer in others and play with their hair when stressed and feel relieved afterward. :|

You are a "picker" - there are many people like this who enjoy doing this activity. It does not mean you have something wrong with you.

deff a disorder , get help ! /:

My god - that sounds scary. What is it?
Sounds like something you catch from the aliens.

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Do I have trichotillomania?!

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