It's about time I read about someone who suffers from the same problem as I. I have been pulling out my hair since I was a child (now in my 20s). I did not realize about my problem until I got older. It has gotten so bad at times, I would wear a hat to hide all of the bald spots. I am now seeing someone who helps me control these urges. This makes me feel better knowing that I am not alone, and hope that this will help in my recovery along with yours. Thank you :)

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Dear Alice,

RE: HAIRPULLING AND BULIMIA:

THANKS, ALICE, FOR PUTTING IT OUT THERE TO THE PUBLIC RE: TRICHOTILLOMANIA.

I AM FORTY-YEARS-OLD AND HAVE PULLED MY HAIR OUT SINCE AGE 11. I HAVE READ/HEARD IT CALLED EVERYTHING FROM AN "OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER" TO "BORDERLINE-PSYCHOTIC."

BEING A PROFESSIONAL HAIRPULLER MYSELF, HERE'S MY VIEW ON IT: IT IS NOTHING BUT A STRESS-BUSTER.

METAPHORICALLY, I'VE READ HAIR-PULLING IS A SYMBOLISM OF "NOT FEELING SAFE OR LOVED." AND YES: WHEN I FEEL SAFE, WHEN I FEEL LOVED: I DON'T PULL. WHEN I AM IN CRISES (IN COLLEGE, BEFORE FINALS; IN LIFE: BEFORE A BIG JOB INTERVIEW, HOT DATE, BOYFRIEND BREAKUP, END OF A RELATIONSHIP, ETC.) — I PULL LIKE CRAZY AND END UP LOOKING LIKE A MONK... THE "FRIAR TUCK LOOK."

WHEN I AM IN THAT HAIR-PULLING FRENZY, I DO NOT THINK ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE... THE ENDORPHINS RELEASED FROM THE PULLING OF EACH INDIVIDUAL HAIR IS EUPHORIC AND PROBABLY, MY GUESS, MUCH RESEMBLES A HEROIN HIGH. WHEN I AM IN THAT FRENZY, THAT SELF-INDUCED EUPHORIA: I DO NOT CARE... ABOUT ANYTHING... JUST THE INCREDIBLE SENSATION OF THE HIGH. THAT IS WHY, I BELIEVE, HAIR-PULLING IS SO HARD TO STOP. I HAVE TRIED THE ANTI-DEPRESSANTS, THE COGNITIVE THERAPY, THE BEHAVIORAL MODIFICATION TECHNIQUES... AND HAVE EVEN AT POINTS IN MY LIFE HAD A FULL HEAD OF HAIR... THEN SOMETHING CHAOTIC HAPPENS, LIKE I LOSE MY JOB, MY BOYFRIEND TO ANOTHER WOMAN, GET EVICTED FROM MY APARTMENT AND RUN OUT OF MONEY, SO AM FORCED TO STOP SMOKING — COLD TURKEY — I WENT FROM A FULL HEAD OF HAIR TO LOOKING LIKE A FREAKY MONK OVERNITE. OVERNITE!

IF I DIDN'T HAVE HAIR-PULLING TO ALLEVIATE ALL THAT EMOTIONAL PAIN, I PROBABLY WOULD HAVE KILLED MYSELF!

OUR BODIES AND OUR MINDS ARE HIGHLY PROGRAMMED COMPUTERS ALWAYS OUT TO PROTECT US... HAIR-PULLING USUALLY STARTS FOR A REASON... AN ALLEVIATION OF SEVERE STRESS... AND BECOMES ADDICTIVE, JUST LIKE HEROIN OR NICOTINE. IT IS OUR MINDS' WAY OF SEEING US THRU A ROUGH TIME. I AM LEARNING TO ACCEPT MYSELF, REGARDLESS OF SOCIETIES' SO-CALLED 'NORMS.'

THANKS, ALICE, FOR CREATING PUBLIC AWARENESS AND EMPATHY ON THIS HUMILIATING NERVOUS DISORDER.

SIGN ME, BALD BROAD IN ILLINOIS

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Dear Alice,

This is in addition to the hair-pulling question. I, too, have been a hair puller all my life. I started when I was eleven. It was incredibly stressful in my life. I would search my head for a suitable, coarse hair, pull it out, rub it on my face or arms, and sometimes put it in my mouth. I wouldn't even realize I was doing it. I would just zone out. My mother noticed me doing it one day and noticed I had a bald spot on the top of my head. She, in turn, whacked me in the head and said I was crazy. So I became more discreet. I began pulling out my pubic hair. I am also a picker, picking at any blemish or bump on my body and again zoning out while doing it. I was in a bookstore recently and saw a book called, Help for Hair Pullers. It was so good to see that I'm not the only person that does this. It can be so embarrassing. Just thought I would share my story with other hair pullers so they, too, know that they are not alone.

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Dear Me,

I'm a hair puller too. Just try to sit on your hands when you're watching TV or just sitting. This will send a message to your brain that you're fighting back. I did that for a while and it slowed down. A lot. I'm now just occasionally pulling here and there, but I can't wait 'til it stops. Also, try wearing a bandana so when you go to grab, and you don't know it, you'll hit the fabric instead of the hair. I wear it every time I get home from school and it works!!!