please help...

you poor baby.........just know you're not alone here. I would like to be your friend. :)
I am almost 18 now, and have had trich since i was fourteen. We can beat this. Don't lose hope

hey sweetheart its ok I totally understand where you are coming from. I started pulling when i was about your age and I have had it for five years now. I started pulling from my legs and now I pull pretty much only from my head it is terrible. I cry about it all the time and I hate looking at myself in the mirror. In my one class I have a lot of people who dont like me and they started sending out mass text messages saying that I had cancer because I was balding and ugly. You just have to ignore what people say and try to move on but I know its not easy. I look at girls in the hallway with thick beautiful hair and I get so jealous. It is really hard to even find a way to style it in the morning. I have to wear large headbands because I am balding on the sides and the top. Bandanas and hats in my school are forbidden so I can not hide it like that. That is really good that your friends were there with you and like I said you cant worry about what other people are gonna say or think. Just stick close with your friends and they will support you. No matter what you are beatiful and you will get through this.I have stopped a few times, once for nine months! I have prom coming up so I am trying to stop for that. I used to be with a twriling group and I had to quit because everyone teased me so much and I couldnt pull my hair back how I needed to anymore. I am going to suggest the headband thing if you dont want to stand out so much. I dont know your specific situation and if it would be enough to cover it but it helps if you get the wide ones or the stretchy ones and that way you can bobby pin it and it will stay in place. That is what I have to do because I have had people try to pull off my headband but that part is their problem not yours. write back if you need anymore help, good luck and it will be ok :-) o and if you get an urge try taking deep breaths and i used to sit on my hands or twirl a pencil or play a game on the computer anything just to keep your hands busy and just tell yourself that there is nothing there you dont have to pull and it will be ok, just try not to give in and believe me I know it is easier said than done but one day you will just be tired of it and it will go away. Try also to avoid caffine and anything with a lot of sugar and red dye 40 because that contributes. Kava Kava is an herbal supplement that can help so you dont have to take medication and chamomile tea might also work. I hope this helps, just keep hanging in there :-)

Hi there Lil Mina,

My god I feel your pain.. I know exactly what your going through. When I was younger.. all through school I wore a bandana too! I remember the fear of watching over my shoulder, so scared that someone would pull my bandana off, i was terrified everyday! I often felt like the world would end if someone did, and much like you, it was pulled off a number off times.. I was the only one who was aloud to wear something on the head too.. I remember feeling like such an easy target, like I stood out from the rest..

But in reality, most people over looked me.. As i wore it from day to day people began to loose interest in me, no-one really cared that I wore it.. And on the occasion that they did pull it off, it didnt really matter.. I was lucky I think. I once had some nasty boys pull it off, but I was so suprised when slowly one by one, each of them apologised..

Truth is.. everyone has a heart, but when we are younger we are easy lead by groups.. Although what we do might not be the right thing we do it anyway, Thats when I learnt to forgive people who did those nasty things, I didnt forgive them for what they did, i forgived them because they didnt have the strength do the right thing..
Most people didnt know why I wore it, they understood that there was something wrong.

You have to remember, you are much stronger than anyone who torments you.. They are the ones who cannot stand up for whats right.. they do what it takes to fit in.. You might not think you fit in now, but trust me, as you get older you will realise your not alone, everyone on this earth has issues, Trich may not be their issue, but im sure they have many of their own.. So be strong..

If you need someone to talk too. Im here...
Also my email address is nicstar1212@hotmail.com, im often online so feel free to contact me sweetheart..
Love from Nicky

hello. im gaby. im 19. i live in southern california and ive had a problem with pulling my hair for almost 7 years now. im really self conscious about myself and they way i do my hair. i have a few small bald spots on the back of my head. i try to stop but it just doesnt help. the doctor put me on zoloft when i was 12 years old to help me but it just made it worse so i stopped taking it. my parents got divorced at the time. and i moved to at least 5 places.only some of my friends know i have this problem. and its hard keeping it away from others. especially people that make fun of you. i always get made fun of for being skinny and having ocd. and no i dont have an eating disorder. it just makes it worse to know people make fun of you than rather help you because they have no idea what your going through.
whenever i have my hair down i try to hide the bald spots. and its so hard not to sit there and pick at it. especially while im watching a movie or trying to concentrate. ive never met anyone with this problem. but i would love to talk to someone who can relate to what im dealing with.

hey you. i know how it feels i started doing what you do at 3. i am 32 now but i can control it. it is not easy but you sound strong enough i got bullied too. i stopped when i got married. i wanted to look pretty. but what you have to see is that even with no hair or the bald bits you have your still pretty and thats part of the battle and our hair is our crowning glory but fun and enjoying is more much more important i go from long hair to shaved. doesnt matter if you need any help or advice please dont hesitate to contact me. fraser552@hotmail.co.uk name is clare