Chronic Hair Pulling

It has been two months since Makahla Rivers has pulled out her hair. In fact, that’s the longest she’s gone without pulling out her hair since she was 12 years old, she said.

Rivers, a 19-year-old from Harrisville, Rhode Island who works in a local restaurant, has struggled with the impulse control disorder known as trichotillomania, the urge to pull out one’s own hair. Trichotillomania, often referred to as trich or TTM, was first documented by the French dermatologist, Francois Henri Hallopeau over 100 years ago and derives from the Greek words, “trich” (hair), “tillo” (to pull) and “mania” (impulse).

While extensive medical research on this disorder has only been conducted within the past twenty years, it is estimated that around 1.5% of males and 3.5% of females in the U.S. struggle with chronic hair pulling, according to the Trichotillomania Learning Center Web site.

It is believed that the majority of hair pulling starts during childhood or around adolescence. Hair is most commonly pulled from the scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes, pubic area and other areas such as the arms, legs or face. It is also common to start pulling in one area and then move onto other areas.

Rivers said she started pulling around the age of 12 but it did not become an issue until she pulled out all of the hair from the top of her head at 15.

“I was at an exercise convention with my mom,” she said.“We were staying at a hotel and we had done four exercise classes and I was tired but my mom was still rearing to go. So, I was like, ‘Oh, I’m just going to sit in the room and relax and take a nap.’ I was in the room, I was watching T.V., I was really tired and it’s almost like I was in a state of hypnosis. I didn’t notice I was [pulling out my...

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... have the whole world know about this disorder so they can do research about it,” she said. “There are a lot of other people out there that have this disorder that are going through the same thing that I went trough that probably don’t even know they have this disorder.”

Rivers is currently taking time off from college to enjoy life and take everything into perspective. While she said she can return to college at any time and handle the stress that comes with it, she is content where she is right now and doesn’t “want to mess this up.”

“I’ve pretty much come to terms with it. I wouldn’t change it. I really would not change it,” she said. “All the years of suffering—it has made me a stronger person. It has made me who I am and I can’t regret that.”

Sources Cited

Trichotillomania Learning Center. 2015

http://www.trich.org/treatment/resources-articles.html