i'm pretty sure i have trich..can somebody help me?

Submitted by iluvblueee on Fri, 08/21/2009 - 05:57

I'm going to be a junior in high school next year(actually in 3 days)
and I've been yanking my hair out since this summer.
for now, I only yank the "inner hair" on my head..so when people look at me, they won't be able to tell that i've been yanking hair but if i lift my hair, you can see a huge part of my scalp.
I can't tie my hair up in a ponytail anymore because i'm too scared that the bald part's going to show. I used to only yank on my right side but lately, I've been yanking my left side too.

I think I started yanking my hair because I like the pain..I'm so stressed about junior year because I feel like I NEED to do well and I'm taking hard classes as well. The pain kind of numbs the anxiety and stress that's building up.

Can someone please help me?
Who should I talk to?
If I tell a counselor at school, would they tell my parents?

How can I stop?
I've tried keeping my hands busy and that worked for about a week but it doesn't work anymore..

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The hairpulling could be a

Submitted by hollinsgirl on Sun, 10/04/2009 - 03:04.

The hairpulling could be a late onset of it, something you'll have forever, but it could also be a one-time thing you'll stop in a month or so and never do again. Since you're doing it mostly out of stress, and you LIKE the pain (rather than not feeling pain at all but a kind of pleasure, like most people with trich), I think this may be more of a self-injurious disorder instead of trich.

Yes, by all means, talk to a counselor--and no, if you tell them not to tell your parents, they won't, unless it's something life-threatening. They may tell if they think it could lead to something like cutting or depression, or they may tell if they think you have an anxiety disorder.

I'm not a doctor, so I have no idea if you have trich or just an anxiety disorder or both, but it sounds like both to me. Medication and therapy sounds like your best bet.

Let me just add something general...don't worry about high school so much. I know that seems impossible, because you want to get into a good college and get a good job and make money etc... but don't kill yourself with stress to get there. I did the same thing, and you know what? My AP credits and all the hard work I'd done to pass those advanced classes didn't mean a thing! They didn't transfer when I went to college. Granted, I go to a private school, which doesn't generally accept AP credits, but still. My point is, you're young. Enjoy life before you're an adult--if you stress over every little thing *now*, you'll find it gets harder and harder as you get older.

I understand if you're scared of your parents finding out, because they may not understand, and the truth is, they may not. Mine sure didn't. But either way, they'll get you the help you need.