I constantly, compulsively pull my own hair...Anybody else with that problem?

[kittenpajamas]

My hair is really damaged and has been for a few years now. It hasn't been dyed in several years, and after the last time I dyed it I got a very short bob cut so there is no dyed hair left on my head...Even still, my hair is extremely brittle and I haven't been able to figure out why but I'm starting to think it may be because I compulsively tug at it almost constantly. I don't know why I do it, I often just do it without even thinking about it. I don't think it's trichotillmania because I don't really pull it out from the scalp...I just tug at it, sometimes to the point I give myself a headache. I guess it's a nervous issue and I usually ignore it but I'm worrying that it is what has been causing my hair to grow so fragile. I don't know what to do about it...Anybody else ever had a problem like this?

[Nadine <3]

Kinda. I have an anxiety/panic disorder and when I panic I tend to pull roughly at my hair and scratch my scalp and the back of my neck. What helps me is keeping my hair up securely so I physically can't pull at it. I still stick my hand in my scalp hair and scratch my scalp with my hair up, but not so hard that it hurts, so I don't think it's doing any damage. Just try putting your hair in a braid, or even better a bun so it's all up and out of the way. Also, keep your hands busy! Sometimes I play with putty if it's really bad and that keeps my hands out of my hair.

[kittenpajamas]

That sounds really similar to my issue...I sometimes pick at my scalp, too. Playing with putty, I should try that...I'm really tired of giving myself headaches. It's been going on for a couple of years now and I've just been ignoring it...Do you think it's like a tic or something? Like, what one might take medicine for? I try to self-medicate with St. John's Wort, but the last kind I bought was really low quality and hasn't been working well for me. Would pulling at the hair constantly put strain on it and cause it to become brittle, you think? I don't do anything else that could damage it this badly, I wash it 3 times a week and never ever use a blow dryer...

[Larki]

I have trichotillomania. Almost nine years now.

[kittenpajamas]

I have trichotillomania. Almost nine years now.

I don't think I have it, since I don't actually pull my hair out...That's the main symptom, right? Also, how do you deal with it?

[Arctic]

It could be a form of trichotillomania. It's not yet very well understood by researchers yet. There are also other hair related disorders too, in the same family as trichotillomania.

While you are right, pulling hair out is a symptom of trichotillomania, many people with trich also have problems keeping their hands off from the hair. Hair pulling is just one part of it all. I think you might benefit from some of the same suggestions and approaches as people who pull out their hairs. There are some wonderful trich support forums out there, maybe you could have a look at their articles and coping suggestions.

For the record, I have trich, but I am happy to say it's more or less in control these days, and I for example will not allow myself doing S&D because that is triggering to me. I also have sometimes stay away from hair sites (like this forum) if I start noticing an obsession again.

[kittenpajamas]

It could be a form of trichotillomania. It's not yet very well understood by researchers yet. There are also other hair related disorders too, in the same family as trichotillomania.

While you are right, pulling hair out is a symptom of trichotillomania, many people with trich also have problems keeping their hands off from the hair. Hair pulling is just one part of it all. I think you might benefit from some of the same suggestions and approaches as people who pull out their hairs. There are some wonderful trich support forums out there, maybe you could have a look at their articles and coping suggestions.

For the record, I have trich, but I am happy to say it's more or less in control these days, and I for example will not allow myself doing S&D because that is triggering to me. I also have sometimes stay away from hair sites (like this forum) if I start noticing an obsession again.

My hair pulling usually does just start with me checking my hair for split ends, and then for some reason I can't stop tugging on my hair and I will just do it all day...That's why I was starting to think it was the cause of the split ends, since it starts with me picking at the ends of my hairs...So maybe that is the problem. I will look into coping methods, like you suggest, and hopefully I will stop giving myself headaches and my hair texture will improve. Hopefully...

[pamrlyn]

Hi Kitten

well this is kind of an embarrassing subject... but in the hopes that this might help someone else... This is something that I have struggled with as well. only I was pulling my hairs out. not all at once, but I once gave my self a nice little bald spot right in the front of my head. I confessed to my family Dr. He said - here take this Paxil. Several horrible side effects later, I stopped taking that stuff... but anyway hair pulling or tricto.. is supposed to be linked to either obsessive compulsive disorder, or an addiction. Many people have trouble with various addictions.. I think there is even a 12 step program :) Anti-depressant can help. finding something else to do helps more. You can't pull your hair when you are typing, knitting - or anything else that takes 2 hands. you can even sit on your hands! keeping your hair out of harms way will also help a lot.
Good luck to you!

Pam

[kittenpajamas]

Hi Kitten

well this is kind of an embarrassing subject... but in the hopes that this might help someone else... This is something that I have struggled with as well. only I was pulling my hairs out. not all at once, but I once gave my self a nice little bald spot right in the front of my head. I confessed to my family Dr. He said - here take this Paxil. Several horrible side effects later, I stopped taking that stuff... but anyway hair pulling or tricto.. is supposed to be linked to either obsessive compulsive disorder, or an addiction. Many people have trouble with various addictions.. I think there is even a 12 step program :) Anti-depressant can help. finding something else to do helps more. You can't pull your hair when you are typing, knitting - or anything else that takes 2 hands. you can even sit on your hands! keeping your hair out of harms way will also help a lot.
Good luck to you!

Pam

Thank you, Pam...It IS embarrassing...It's even gotten to the point that it annoys my boyfriend and he tries to move my hands away when he sees I'm messing with my hair. I feel ashamed when I do it a lot in public because I'm sure it looks weird and frantic :/

[Larki]

I don't think I have it, since I don't actually pull my hair out...That's the main symptom, right? Also, how do you deal with it?

That's the main symptom, yeah, but like Arctic said, it's also just compulsively touching it, etc.

I try to keep my head covered as much as possible when I'm alone (my silk sleep cap is perfect for this), and I have putty that I use to keep my hands busy when I'm reading, surfing the internet, etc. It's not perfect, but it does help some. Stress and boredom are the worst triggers for it.

[Arctic]

Kittenpajamas and Pamrlyn, don't be embarrased about it. Many people suffer from it, but it's just not talked about much. We have many members here on this forum who have trich, or are someway obsessed at touching and fiddling with their hair. We've had many trich related threads over the years too. I have written about my trich in my blog too, when it was quite severe.

Like Larki, when my condition was bad I covered my hair a lot, wore thin cotton gloves, taped my fingertips so I could feel the hairs (my "thing" was to find wiry hairs), had some finger toys handy I could play with to keep my hands busy. I also tried to recognize my triggers and avoid them, tried to become mindful of my hands, I joined support groups, read a lot about it, took long hiatus from hair sites, tried to learn to accept my hair as it is and that I have a trich.

Stress has been my enemy in this too.

[kittenpajamas]

I'm a new mother of a 6 month old baby so...stress has been really hitting me hard here lately :/ Has anyone else tried St. John's Wort for stress, and did it work? If so, I would like to know what brand you use...I took it once a couple of years ago and it seemed to really help, but I haven't bought a good brand since and it never seems to work anymore. I wonder if that first time I took it just gave me the placebo effect...I would just drink chamomile tea all the time but it's too good at sedating me :/

[Arctic]

Sorry to hear you have been having stress. I don't have kids but I can just imagine the earthshattering changes and demands a child brings. Thanksfully not all of them are negative ones! Is your child at an age already where s/he grabs your hair all the time? That could be a good double motivation to keep your hair in an updo for a while :)

I don't know about St. John's Wort (I have always thought it's "worth", lol!), hopefully others have more experiences with it! But I got an idea that you could also try lavender essential oil, it help to calm and de-stress. Maybe you could massage in your scalp? You sound like a person who is sensitive to the healing powers of plants, I never notice any effects from chamomille :D

I'm on conventional antidepressant medication myself, can't say if that has had an effect on improving my trich or not.

[kittenpajamas]

She doesn't grab my hair as much as I thought she would...Maybe that comes later. I hate to admit it, but I'm very self-conscious about the way I look with my hair pulled back because I kindof look ridiculous...I have a round face shape and my hair is light blonde around my hairline, so when I pull it back it just never looks good...I've also gained a bit of weight, so my face always looks bloated :/ Otherwise, I probably would pull it back more often so I could avoid washing it for longer periods, but normally I only have the courage to leave it down, with a side part. That's the only way I still look "pretty." That, or I wear a beanie since it's cold where I live now.

And, yeah, I'm pretty sensitive to everything x.x especially caffeine, which I wonder if maybe it contributes to my compulsiveness, but I'm addicted to it and I need it to stay awake during the day because...y'know, it's hard to get enough sleep when you have an infant x.x

[Arctic]

Would pulling at the hair constantly put strain on it and cause it to become brittle, you think?


It might. But I find it a bit difficult to think just pulling/tugging and playing with your hair would damage the roots, where hair grows. I know some people with severe and long term trichotillomania, who have been continuously pulling their hairs out, might experience a change in the re-growing hairs, so it seems like that sort of thing can damage the roots. In Indian scalp massages I have heared they tugg the hair all around the scalp to stimulte and relax the scalp. Keeping that in mind, but without actually having seen how gently or not-so-gently you handle your hair, I'd say it's unlikely this causes damage at the root level.

However, as it's often repeated here at the forums, every thing damages hair. Brushing, wind, washing, friction, sleeping... but at bob length this (or pulling at the hair, unless it's very forceful) shouldn't be a problem yet [ETA: to the point of extensive damage], that's how my gut instinct says. With the exception, that when you start aproaching shoulder length, my personal experience is that it makes my ends bad very fast, they are constantly rubbing against the shoulders. I have just grown past that phase. If you are at about shoulder, this could be one factor.

ETA: But I do hope that you can get the texture better with stopping the tugging - it certainly can't hurt! What I was trying to say that it sounds like your hair is growing in brittle texture, and not that you damage it to become brittle. That's why I wrote about the roots, etc. Do you think the hair grows the way it is?

Some other random ideas:

- maybe you could post your routine and hair type
- how is your diet?
- maybe your hair type has changed with pregnancy, it's very common. If, for example, you used to have straight hair but now it's wavy or curly, but you care it as if it's straight, it might look damaged and frizzy (have you ever seen a photo of a curly hair that has been brushed when dry?). In this case a curl friendly routine would make a big difference. ETA: I remember when I found my first wiry hairs I thought for a long time they were damaged, until I realized they just grow like that and are completely normal.
- have you talked about this hair texture problem to your doctor? Many deficiencies and disorders, like thyroid problems, cause hair changes

[Arctic]

She doesn't grab my hair as much as I thought she would...Maybe that comes later. I hate to admit it, but I'm very self-conscious about the way I look with my hair pulled back because I kindof look ridiculous...I have a round face shape and my hair is light blonde around my hairline, so when I pull it back it just never looks good...I've also gained a bit of weight, so my face always looks bloated :/ Otherwise, I probably would pull it back more often so I could avoid washing it for longer periods, but normally I only have the courage to leave it down, with a side part. That's the only way I still look "pretty." That, or I wear a beanie since it's cold where I live now.

And, yeah, I'm pretty sensitive to everything x.x especially caffeine, which I wonder if maybe it contributes to my compulsiveness, but I'm addicted to it and I need it to stay awake during the day because...y'know, it's hard to get enough sleep when you have an infant x.x


Well if keeping your hair down makes you feel good about yourself, then it's very important that you do keep it down. That is my personal opinion, although the consensus of LHC might have different opinion and ideals.

[kittenpajamas]

It might. But I find it a bit difficult to think just pulling/tugging and playing with your hair would damage the roots, where hair grows. I know some people with severe and long term trichotillomania, who have been continuously pulling their hairs out, might experience a change in the re-growing hairs, so it seems like that sort of thing can damage the roots. In Indian scalp massages I have heared they tugg the hair all around the scalp to stimulte and relax the scalp. Keeping that in mind, but without actually having seen how gently or not-so-gently you handle your hair, I'd say it's unlikely this causes damage at the root level.

However, as it's often repeated here at the forums, every thing damages hair. Brushing, wind, washing, friction, sleeping... but at bob length this (or pulling at the hair, unlss it's very forceful) shouldn't be a problem yet. With the exception, that when you start aproaching shoulder length, my personal experience is that it makes my ends bad very fast, they are constantly rubbing against the shoulders. I have just grown past that phase. If you are at about shoulder, this could be one factor.

Some other random ideas:

- maybe you could post your routine and hair type
- how is your diet?
- maybe your hair type has changed with pregnancy, it's very common. If, for example, you used to have straight hair but now it's wavy or curly, but you care it as if it's straight, it might look damaged and frizzy (have you ever seen a photo of a curly hair that has been brushed when dry?). In this case a curl friendly routine would make a big difference.
- have you talked about this hair texture problem to your doctor? Many deficiencies and disorders, like thyroid problems, cause hair changes

I'm not entirely sure how to type my hair using the method long hair community uses, but I guess I have type 2B hair, where the hair waves follow the shape of your head? Does that sound right? It didn't seem to change much from pregnancy, though it does seem a bit thinner now...I think that is just because it falls out so much because I'm pulling on it more :/ Or just stress in general is making it fall out...

My routine is pretty simple: I just wash it 3 times a week, maybe 4 if it somehow gets very dirty (like baby food...) I never use any styling tools, other than a hair brush, and the only styling products I use are leave-in conditioners and hair oils, like argan oil.

And my diet could be better but I do take post-natal supplements and drink plenty of water. My diet is very protein heavy...I'm addicted to nuts. Mostly almonds. Aaannnnd, I don't really regularly see a doctor, so I don't know what one would say...

[kittenpajamas]

No, wait...After looking at pictures, it's probably closer to 2A...or 1C?

[Arctic]

kittenpajamas, I edited my post while you were typing your answer. I market the new text with ETA.


Someone else is probably better at helping with hair types and hair care routines, I have been away from the LHC for a long time, and have forgot a lot. I wonder if you'd have more people aswering, if you'd start a new, hair care related thread with a descriptive title, and in the first post put a link to this thread, so you wouldn't have to write it all again but yet the information about your hair tugging would be available.

I love simple routines :) I can't see anything bad at a first glance, except the general advise here is usually to avoid brushes and to use a wide tooth, seamless combs, especially when the hair is wet. (I do use both combs and brushes.) I and my scalp (lol) love good old sulphate shampoos, but many people get amazing results with gentler washing. Maybe you could try something like CWC, that conditioner shampoo conditioner, where you first wet your hair, put a cheap conditioner at the lenght, without rinsing the conditioner, shampoo your scalp, rinse, put a better conditioner as normal. Leave ins are good too, and oils seem to be a heaven sent to many.

Brittle hair could be also from too protein-y products, or even from too hard water.


Anyways, if you are shedding more, it could be a normal post-partum shedding, and soon your hair will start to grow back.

One more question: did your hair previously be different texture? And then you did something like colouring which damaged it, but the damage never seemed to go away even when it was technically cut off?

ETA: And one more: do you notice breakage too?

[Arctic]

Ok if your hair is close to 1c-2a, it dampens my theory of you being a secret curly :D

[kittenpajamas]

kittenpajamas, I edited my post while you were typing your answer. I market the new text with ETA.


Someone else is probably better at helping with hair types and hair care routines, I have been away from the LHC for a long time, and have forgot a lot. I wonder if you'd have more people aswering, if you'd start a new, hair care related thread with a descriptive title, and in the first post put a link to this thread, so you wouldn't have to write it all again but yet the information about your hair tugging would be available.

I love simple routines :) I can't see anything bad at a first glance, except the general advise here is usually to avoid brushes and to use a wide tooth, seamless combs, especially when the hair is wet. (I do use both combs and brushes.) I and my scalp (lol) love good old sulphate shampoos, but many people get amazing results with gentler washing. Maybe you could try something like CWC, that conditioner shampoo conditioner, where you first wet your hair, put a cheap conditioner at the lenght, without rinsing the conditioner, shampoo your scalp, rinse, put a better conditioner as normal. Leave ins are good too, and oils seem to be a heaven sent to many.

Brittle hair could be also from too protein-y products, or even from too hard water.


Anyways, if you are shedding more, it could be a normal post-partum shedding, and soon your hair will start to grow back.

One more question: did your hair previously be different texture? And then you did something like colouring which damaged it, but the damage never seemed to go away even when it was technically cut off?

My hair was very prone to get oily when I was a little girl, and it was also actually light blonde, whereas now it's kindof an inbetween color...It changes color depending on the lighting but generally looks brown. And it hardly ever gets oily the way it used to, in fact sometimes I think it actually gets dryer the less I wash it because I go so long without conditioning, so that doesn't make any sense... I dyed my hair ALOT when I was a teenager, but I have since surely cut all the dyed hair off. It has been maybe 5 years since I last dyed my hair, and even then I had only dyed the underside black. But now I seem to have damage that goes all the way up to my scalp, even after haircuts. Not on the underside, though, just on the hair that is exposed to to the outside, starting where I part my hair....

[pamrlyn]

Hi Arctic

Thank you for your kind reply & wisdom. (I think we were posting at the same time :) I'm a slow typer)

[Arctic]

Could it be that you have just started to grow some wiry hairs? I know I freaked out when I found mine the first time: they feel different from my other hair, bumby and more coarse. For the longest of time I hated them and thought they were damaged. I cut and cut and cut, and my trich got really bad because of those hairs. Then one day I noticed I had a big hole in my hemline at the left side at the back. I quickly realized that the spot where I most often found those hairs I thought were damaged. I had been snipping at the hairs so much I had actually cut a 2 euro coin's sized hole in the hemline, little by little. I freaked out because, well, a hole, and secondly, because it was then that I realized that I have so many wiry hairs there that snipping at them makes a hole. Soon after that I had to face the fact that the hairs grew like that and were not in fact damaged. It was hard to accept them, especially with the trichotillomania, but I think I have finally made peace with them.

I tell this in case your brittle feeling hairs turns out to be something similar. If you do find this is the case, I want to reassure you that wiry hairs are not bad or damaged or abnormal, most of us have at least few of these.

My wiry hairs look like this:

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc33/LingonberryMist/Hiukset/20081128025_muoks.jpg

Some of them are quite curly too.

ETA: It's also very common to have different kinds of hairs in one head. Sometimes they are all blended, but sometimes they grow in different areas. It's super common to have different type of canopy than the underside is.

[Arctic]

pamrly - no problems! I find it important that trichotillomania and related problems would lose the secretiveness and shame that surrounds them.

[kittenpajamas]

Could it be that you have just started to grow some wiry hairs? I know I freaked out when I found mine the first time: they feel different from my other hair, bumby and more coarse. For the longest of time I hated them and thought they were damaged. I cut and cut and cut, and my trich got really bad because of those hairs. Then one day I noticed I had a big hole in my hemline at the left side at the back. I quickly realized that the spot where I most often found those hairs I thought were damaged. I had been snipping at the hairs so much I had actually cut a 2 euro coin's sized hole in the hemline, little by little. I freaked out because, well, a hole, and secondly, because it was then that I realized that I have so many wiry hairs there that snipping at them makes a hole. Soon after that I had to face the fact that the hairs grew like that and were not in fact damaged. It was hard to accept them, especially with the trichotillomania, but I think I have finally made peace with them.

I tell this in case your brittle feeling hairs turns out to be something similar. If you do find this is the case, I want to reassure you that wiry hairs are not bad or damaged or abnormal, most of us have at least few of these.

My wiry hairs look like this:

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc33/LingonberryMist/Hiukset/20081128025_muoks.jpg

Some of them are quite curly too.

ETA: It's also very common to have different kinds of hairs in one head. Sometimes they are all blended, but sometimes they grow in different areas. It's super common to have different type of canopy than the underside is.

Yes, that is exactly what they look like! And when I run my fingers through my hair I will find those hairs and start pulling on them, until I end up just pulling on all of my hair and I start obsessing over them. But so much of hair grows like that...Why is that?

[Arctic]

Well good thing you are getting some answers to your questions and problem, but I also feel your pain about them.

I think on most people having different kinds of hairs is 100% normal, and can't be changed because it's written in the genetic makeup. We've had so many threads over the years I've been a member here about these coarser, rougher hairs, that I have learned to know they are very normal, a hair type among others. If your search for the old threads, and read some of them, you'll see that almost everybody has them. There probably isn't really an answer to "why", I'm afraid.

That being said, sometimes damaged hair follicles (like from long term, serious trichotillomania), nutritional deficiencies or some illnesses can cause hair type to change, and for example thyroid problems can manifest themself in hair type changes to more corser and frizzier hair. I personally waisted LOT of time and energy trying to find a reason for these hairs. I read and read about all kinds of disorders and illnesses, went to laboratory tests, etc, but for me it seems like there is no "why". All this did to me was prolong the time it took to accept my hair, this only worsened my obsessing.

I am not lieing, I had extremely difficult time accepting these coarser hairs, it literally took me years, and having trichotillomania didn't help. I am finally more or less in peace with these hairs now, and have learned to see positive things in them: for one they make my hair look thicker and increase the volume! I have also learned to work with them. You can make them softer with right hair care, for example, or blow dry them straight, or curl them, all of these make them feel less different to the other hair.

I have tried to change my inner talk about them and attitudes towards them. I have also learned to think my hair as a mass, as one unit rather than as individual hairs. I have learned to see beauty in every hair type, even these wiry hairs are beautiful: have you seen how they glimmer and glisten in sun? I think of them as the brave rebels among the hair types :D

I probably have at least 1/3 of my hair growing wiry now, and I don't think my hair is ugly at all. Many members here who have stunning hair have written that they have lot of wiry hairs, so you are in good company.

I see the wiry hairs are your hair pulling trigger too, like they were for me. That makes me even more sure that reading and learning some coping strategies from trichotillomania sites could really help you to start on the road of recovery and making peace with your hair. (PS. If you do read some of the old threads about this subject on LHC, don't let some of the negative names people call these hairs affect you - words are powerful, and I feel positive attitude is very important when it comes to healing from trichotillomania [or similar disorders]!)


Hopefully you can learn to like your hair too, and find ways to style it and care for it which makes your hair look and feel its best.

[Arctic]

To continue my thoughts. I'd suggest you approaching your hair problem from 3 different angles


a) do see a doctor to check out everything is fine
b) get help for the trichotillomania-like symptoms
c) learn to care and style your hair so, that it looks and feels better

[kittenpajamas]

Arctic, you are so helpful lol I have been stressing over my weird hair texture problem for a very long time now and within the past year the hair tugging has started to become a big problem, too...I just knew the two problems were somehow correlated.

Thanks so much for the advice...I feel honestly a lot better about it already!

[Arctic]

kittenpajamas, I'm extremely happy if I can help! I struggled quite a bit with my texture changes and trichotillomania, and I know how it's like. I feel very passionate about making wiry hairs more accepted, and trichotillomania more known, I guess :D

[gwenalyn]

Like, what one might take medicine for? I try to self-medicate with St. John's Wort, but the last kind I bought was really low quality and hasn't been working well for me.


I'm a new mother of a 6 month old baby so...stress has been really hitting me hard here lately :/ Has anyone else tried St. John's Wort for stress, and did it work? If so, I would like to know what brand you use...I took it once a couple of years ago and it seemed to really help, but I haven't bought a good brand since and it never seems to work anymore. I wonder if that first time I took it just gave me the placebo effect...I would just drink chamomile tea all the time but it's too good at sedating me :/

For anyone thinking about St. John's wort: If you can afford it, I strongly suggest you go to a doctor and see if they will give you a prescription for a conventional antidepressant. The active ingredient in St. John's wort is an antidepressant (like Zoloft, Lexapro, etc.), but because St. John's wort is considered a supplement in America, regulatory bodies do not have as much power to make sure that the dosage is consistent. Basically, with St. John's wort, you don't know how much of the antidepressant you are getting. Many "natural" supplement manufacturers are also very unscrupulous about what is in their products. There have been many studies recently showing that natural supplements at Wal-Mart, etc., have unlabeled allergens in them and so on! St. John's wort also has many potentially dangerous drug interactions, so it's best to talk to a doctor or pharmacist about it first!

I say this as someone who was depressed and suicidal before finally going to a doctor about it (at the behest of my employer, no less). If you think you are depressed or OCD or anything, it's worth it to go the doctor! She was very kind and understanding, and put into words all the things I was feeling but terrified to say out loud. I was prescribed Lexapro (escitalopram) and I'm absolutely sure it, and therapy, saved my life.

[kittenpajamas]

Thank you for your reply gwenalyn...I have considered going to see my university's psychological clinic to see if they end up diagnosing me with generalized anxiety disorder...From what I understand it's very common among college students AND new parents, so I thought I might be suffering from that. But then, I'm really not sure how much stress is normal for people to feel or if maybe my stress is just a side effect of my personality :/ I worry about going to see a psychiatrist and being prescribed a drug that has the opposite effect on me because I'm not clinically depressed or anything severe...But I did read about that! That's why I was wondering if anybody else had any experience with maybe a reputable brand or something...I'm pretty sure that last place I bought my St Johns wort was wal mart and I'm pretty sure it's bogus. :/

[hennalonghair]

Yes St. John's wort is very effective for depression and anxiety BUT should never be mixed with prescription drugs especially antidepressants or other anxiety medications .

[kittenpajamas]

Yes St. John's wort is very effective for depression and anxiety BUT should never be mixed with prescription drugs especially antidepressants or other anxiety medications .

Do you have any experience with a good brand? I read that the ones sold at Wal Mart, drugstores, and even GNC are all mixed with fillers and other herbs that do nothing and that the hypericin and hyperforin levels are really low...

[Wildcat Diva]

http://www.everydayhealth.com/anxiety-disorder-specialist/is-compulsive-hair-pulling-part-of-ocd.aspx

Trich is an impulse control disorder. Not OCD.

It's a behavioral problem, not exactly a mood or anxiety problem. It can serve to soothe anxiety, though,

[chen bao jun]

Anti depressants can help. I learned to knit though and that was better as it keeps your hands busy and its repetitive and its also soothing. when I say its better, I don't mean NOT to take medicine you need, but this can also help.

[hennalonghair]

Do you have any experience with a good brand? I read that the ones sold at Wal Mart, drugstores, and even GNC are all mixed with fillers and other herbs that do nothing and that the hypericin and hyperforin levels are really low...

I've used natures way brand and found it to be good.
Here is some good info on it.
http://www.drugs.com/drug-interactions/st-john-s-wort.html

[gwenalyn]

Do you have any experience with a good brand? I read that the ones sold at Wal Mart, drugstores, and even GNC are all mixed with fillers and other herbs that do nothing and that the hypericin and hyperforin levels are really low...

IMHO the best thing to do, if you can afford it, is go to the doctor and get a prescription.

[Creagan]

I've got mild trichotillomania, which is exacerbated by a generalized anxiety disorder. I yank out my eyelashes when I get stressed, or when my eyes itch from allergies. You wouldn't be able to tell by looking at me because I'm *generally* pretty good about making sure don't pull as much as I want, pull evenly across both eyes, and my eyelashes were pretty thick before I started pulling them about two years ago.

I second the recommendations to knit. Knitting really helps me, in two senses. For starters, it makes me use both hands so I can't pull, and it also calms me down so I don't want to pull as much after I've knit for an hour. Using highly textured yarn works best because it kind of overloads your finger's sensory needs, which is part of the reason people pull their hair out/twist their hair/break their hair...

[picklepie]

With a 6mo old, you're also well within the timeframe where post-partum depression can rear its head-- and it often manifests as anxiety. Can you speak with your midwife or obgyn, and see what resources they suggest? It's such a hard time of life, and SO many mamas have been where you are, and come out the other side. Doesn't make it any easier, though.

[lapushka]

I'd go see a doctor before it becomes really bad. By the sound of it, it's kind of mild as of right now (seeing as you don't actually pull hair out), but this could get worse, plenty worse. The first step is the hardest, and that's talking about it. Now go get the help you need and deserve!

[chen bao jun]

I'm with Lapushka.

People would think it ridiculous not to go to Dr if suffering from migraines, or flu or a broken leg, but when things go wrong in the brain they delay, try to tough it out, hide and suffer pointlessly.

I've got clinical anxiety and OCD that varies, sometimes mild, sometimes out of control , and I pretty much have low level clinical depression ALL the time. I try not to dose up unless I absolutely have t o ( which I have to somtimes), but to make sure I get the counselling that helps, exercise and fresh air, proper eating and o t her things which also help. But sometimes I just need meds and that's how it is. that doesn't make me a bad or weak person and it's not shameful. I'm lucky to live in a time and place where help is available.

Yes, knitting helps and other hobbies involving using your hands can help too. Hey, making hair toys has settled me down many a time.

I have been afflicted to the extent that I was not only pulling my hair out but eating it. I also used to have a compulsion to chew and swallow paper. Fortunately, it hasn't been that bad for years, I no longer do those things at all. Although now sometimes I struggle with the opposite, worrying about every hair I shed, which is bad because I am a profuse shedder! If it's not one thing, it's another, heh?

I keep in mind that I have these issues and dear hubby is good at telling me nicely when I am turning into a nutcase, whether it be by measuring my hair sevreal times a day or redoing buns over and over because the they keep looking crooked. Of course part of our problem can be knowing we are being irrational but being unable to stop, which is why medication that gives you that bump that helps break the cycle can definitely be a useful tool and Is a blessing.

Though I wouldn't do we it out my counseling either. Usually when I get in a nutty cycle and can't stop worrying about something trivial or repeatedly doing something that I don't want to, something bigger is bothering me and my counselor helps me face it, troubleshoot and then deal with it. Which beats worry ing, even if you don't have that brain glitch that causes obsession.

[M-L-E]

Totally feel your pain. I compulsively play with the ends of my hair, stroking and pulling them through my fingers and across my face... I struggle with anxiety disorder and depression, but I have done this since I was very very young, according to my parents. I don't realise that I am doing it, and it causes a lot of mechanical damage and generally very dry ends :roll eyes: I hate wearing my hair up, too, which doesn't help! If you don't think it's as severe as trich, it could perhaps be a mild form of stereotypic movement disorder- it involves compulsive and repetitive movement that usually (but not always) results in some sort of harm, like compulsive scratching... Anyway I just thought I'd share my thoughts, hope things get better for you and everyone who shares their experiences here. :heartbeat

[monaaa75]

go to a specialist, with proffesional help you will get rid of it very quickly. just dont deny that it is a serious issue.

[Wildcat Diva]

I have to say I disagree with the comment that you will "get rid of it very quickly" with professional help. Sometimes it takes quite a while. You might be lucky and have a great response to a particular antidepressant. Or not. From a professional therapist's standpoint I would never promise that I could rid a client of this very quickly.