OCD Action

curbunkle
Member

My daughter, not yet two, started pulling her hair out about three months ago. We'd never heard of this condition until she started doing it and everyone told us they had never heard of it in someone so young. We got her hair cut really short and she had a noticeable patch where she had been pulling (only with her left hand on the top of her head on the left hand side).

She stopped for a time beacuse she had nothing to grab hold of but did have a go at her eye lashes. this hasn't developed but her hair on her head grew back and she started at that once more.

Last week we got her head shaved. A no 1 all over. She is still gorgeous. I was wondering whether anyone else had experience of a child doing this before their second birthday and whether you could offer any advice.

Thanks.

Tue Feb 2 2010 16:37:34 #
Unregistered

Hi

I am so sorry to hear about your daughter's hairpulling. I assume you have taken her to your GP to discuss this. If not, you should.

I have met people who pull out their hair and eyelashes but they have been in their teens or early twenties. So I am sorry I can't help.

But there are people on this forum who have had OCD from a very early age and I am sure they will be willing to discuss this with you.

All the very best in helping your gorgeous daughter to get over this.

Very best wishes
Anne.

Tue Feb 2 2010 16:49:48 #
curbunkle
Member

We took her to the GP and he was utterly unhelpful ("keep an eye on it and let us know if anything changes"). I was reassured to hear of another child doing this who grew out of it by the age of four but I don't know her parents well enough to quiz them on it. However, a boy at my son's nursery also does this and, aged five, he hasn't stopped. The shaved head has stopped it in the meantime but is only a temporary fix.

C

Tue Feb 2 2010 21:29:48 #
Unregistered

Hi C

It would be such a good idea if you could summon the courage to talk to the parents of both children. If you explain how worried you are they may well be willing to help. I have found that the people on this forum are extremely pleased to share information and to help us when we cannot cope.
I have also found to my surprise that our husbands and families would like information on how they can help us and are desperate for solutions.

Please feel free to PM me if you want someone to talk to. It sometimes helps to share regardless.
Anne
x

Wed Feb 3 2010 12:15:28 #
Unregistered

I don't know much about this condition I am sorry to say, but I did want to tell you how great it is that you are asking for advice on this from other people who may suffer from the same problem. I am sorry your family has to go through this right now and I wish your daughter all the luck.

Wed Feb 3 2010 13:09:10 #
ellinio
Member

I am sorry to hear about what is happening with your child. I too have a child (son) who two years ago started pulling his hair out. I too keep his hair short but he still has a noticable patch of hair missing. I feel as though I am to blame because I have ocd and I understand this is a form that I may have passed onto him. Our GP was very unhelpful also and just told me to get his hair cut, (which doesnt solve it I know!)I am trying at present to find some info on helping him and if I do I will post it on here. I hope you manage to find some help with this for your daughter and wish you all the best. x

Sun Feb 28 2010 17:23:55 #
curbunkle
Member

So, it's five months since I first posted this. We took my daughter to the hairdresser and got her a no.1 all over. Her hair grew in gradually and was a little bit thinner and more sparse in certain areas to begin with. However, in the period in which her head was shaved she stopped moving her hand up to her hair as there was nothing for her to grab. She also stayed clear of her eyelashes too.

It all started when she was tired. She would grab her hair, wind it round her forefinger and rub her nose with it as she sucked her thumb. Instead of grabbing her hair, she now scours the floor for pieces of fluff to perform the same function. She *completely* ignores her hair, which is now boyishly short but thick all over and growing in tremendously. It'll be in pigtails, like her twin sister's, before too long. I realise this solution may not work for all children but, thankfully, it did for mine

Thank you all to the kind people who took the time to respond to my original posts. This is a remarkable place and I wanted to take the time to come back and share a little success story with you.

Fri Jul 9 2010 22:43:47 #
jo
Member

Hi,
Thats wonderful

Fri Jul 9 2010 23:14:46 #