OCD Action

danielle
Member

I fistly would like to mention that I am I am 27 and happily engaged to my wonderful fiance. I am happy in my relationship and work/home life.

However, I pull my hair ALL the time...I have just found this website and wondered if anyone could tell me if I have OCD or a form of it. I have really tried to stop and my family and husband to be are forever telling me to 'stop playing with your hair!' I get really aggitated when I stop and I think I must find it calming. It tends to be when I am sat at my desk at work or in the evening watching TV at home...Its an automatic thing.

When I look back I can not pin point when I started doing this...I no that I used to bite my nails very badly and one random day, without even trying, I just stopped. Then the hair pulling out started.

I would really appreciate any comments / guidance / ideas as I am really worried I will one day be bald.

Thank you x

Fri Jul 16 2010 20:15:33 #
Truddles
Member

Hi Danielle,

Welcome to the forum.

I'll reply to you later today as I must away to bed.

Best wishes
Trudy

Fri Jul 16 2010 23:22:10 #
Unregistered

Hi Danielle

You really need to see your GP if you have not already done so.

There is a condition called Trichotillomania (hair pulling) which is related to OCD as well as nail biting etc. It can be helped with Behavior therapy such as HRT (Habit Reversal Training.) Frez Penzel has written a book about the condition 'The Hair Pulling Problem: A Complete Guide to Trichotillomania', Oxford Press, which should be helpful.

Very best of luck.
Anne

Sat Jul 17 2010 7:21:50 #
Truddles
Member

Hi Danielle,

Sorry that my reply was so brief last night but I was too tired to think when you posted.

I’m not a professional but it does sound like a form of OCD called Trichotillomania (hair pulling). As Anne says you really do need to see your GP. This is in order to get a diagnosis and to access treatment. Treatment for this is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

If you click on the orange box entitled ‘It’s time to know’ on the right of this page it will take you to the OCD Action resource centre where you can get more information on OCD, including books on Trichotillomania. You can also download a card to take with you to your GP which explains what OCD is.

It’s good that you’ve recognised that you have a problem because it means that you can move forward and start to learn how to deal with it. CBT will help you to do so.

It doesn’t help when people keep telling you to stop does it? So once you’ve read the information on OCD perhaps you could show them some of it to help them understand what it is that you’re going through.

Please don’t give up hope, there is treatment available and you can get through this.

You don’t have to go through this alone. This is a friendly forum and we do our best to help and support each other. I’ve found it an invaluable tool to aid my recovery

I look forward to hearing from you again.

Best wishes
Trudy

Sat Jul 17 2010 11:29:30 #
Unregistered

Dear Danielle, There was a documentary on Channel 4, yesterday evening. It’s called ‘Girls on the Pull‘. It may be of interest to you and others with trich. I believe it can be viewed online for the next six days.

I do understand how pulling hair calms us. I used to pull my hair and it drove my mother and husband mad, which made me more anxious and I pulled my hair all the more. I think they believed I was doing it to annoy them, but nothing could have been further from the truth! I did manage to stop, but I do still pull my eyebrows out when I am very anxious. At times I am unaware I am doing it.

Therapy can be very useful, but for others medication can work very well.

Best wishes,
Tricia.

Sat Jul 17 2010 12:16:29 #
Truddles
Member

Hi,

I watched that documentary this afternoon and though it barely mentions treatment, it does give an insight into trichotillomania (I hate trying to spell that word it always trips me up )

It's actually available online (channel 4) for another 29 days.

I missed it last night on TV as I was misled by the title

Sat Jul 17 2010 17:03:39 #
danielle
Member

Hi Truddles, Tricia and Gladis,

Thank you all ever so much for responding to my post.

I was having a little breakdown and I can't tell you how reassuring it is to see your replies. I am not sure how or why, but the realisation of the fact that there is actually a 'reason' for me behaiving this way was very upsetting, but I think, in a good way...It was almost the relief that was overwhelming (That maybe sounds crazy!)

I have for the first time in my life...Spoken about it with my partner and parents...Im not sure they totally understand it but have said they will support me. I will, as you all say, visit my GP, hopefully they will know the next step.

I watched the 'Girls on the Pull' programme too ( I had probably avaioded it for the title!) and it was very insightfull...It was like watching myself...

I'm just so grateful for the lovely replies...I just can't explain...

Thank you ladies

Sun Jul 18 2010 21:38:43 #
Unregistered

Hi Danielle

I am so pleased that you have now told your parents and partner and have decided to go to your GP. That is the first and most important step.

I have done a bit of research for you today and there are Facts Sheets about Trichotillomania on The International OCD Foundation Website and on The Bupa Website. Both suggest that Habit Reversal Therapy (part of CBT)really helps.
Habit-reversal therapy has four different stages.

'Self-monitoring - where you keep a record of your hair-pulling behaviour.
Awareness training - where you learn to recognise the situations that make you pull out your hair.
Stimulus control - where you learn to avoid situations that make you pull out your hair, or use techniques to stop you from doing it.
Stimulus-response intervention - where you start doing different activities, such as taking a walk or relaxing, instead of hair pulling.'[Bupa UK web site]

Hope this helps

All the best of luck,

Anne

Mon Jul 19 2010 10:33:53 #
danielle
Member

Hi Anne,

Thank you for thinking of me and your research today...I have made an appointment to see my doctors at the end of the month and I have printed off a few pages of information you suggested to take with me...I'm a little nervous they are going to disregard the issue but I guess I have to give it a go!

I have also chatted to a lady who is a hypnotherapist and she thinks it might be beneficial to have 'Pure Hypnoanalysis' (a unique therapy only practised by the IAPH)

What they say:

"Hypnoanalysis (noun): "a therapeutic technique in which a client is relaxed into hypnosis, and using free-association, sets out to release and resolve bottled-up emotions, conflicts and anxieties "

She says that instead of CBT and teaching you to deal/overcome the issue, that instead...It gets to the root (excuse the pun) of the problem.

I wonder if this is something that might help?

Danielle x

Tue Jul 20 2010 10:20:19 #
Unregistered

Hi Danielle

I honestly do not think that your GP is going to disregard the issue. Although Trich has not been as well researched as OCD, GPs have known about it for years. There was a very nice young lady at the Bethlem with me 14 years ago with Trich who I got very close to. I am not sure how far she progressed but there seem to have been advancements in therapy since then.

I personally would wait to see your doctor before you pay for expensive private treatment. I know that hypnotherapy has really helped a couple of people on this forum to relax but it does not help everyone. The same with homeopathy. I had spectacular results from homeopathy. Before I went, I was still suicidal; after well under a year of seeing Jan, my depression vanished and never came back and this in turn helped to keep my OCD under control. But it is clear from the survey that neither helps everyone.

Why don't you read the fact sheets and try to get hold of Fred's book? I would also suggest you buy CBT for Dummies as there are some wonderful distraction tips in there. One was getting a kitten - and wow hasn't this made a difference to me. Some of the tips are daft but they did make me fall about with laughter.

The more you know about the disorder the more you will be able to help yourself and your doctor. You will then be in a position to discuss the different treatments with him/her during your visit. My GP always does this with me when I see her.

Very best of luck

Anne

Tue Jul 20 2010 10:58:55 #
MaxineRyder
Member

I have to admit that compulsive hair pulling and associated symptoms are hard hard hard to give up. Unlike all other symptoms of OCD, this one feels really good.

Here's my list of guilty pleasures:
1) eyebrow pulling with fingers
2) hair tweezing on face and body
3) Skin peeling (this is especially satisfying after a good suntan)
4) Scab picking
5) cuticle pulling with a tweezer
6) zit squeezing on face and body

7) Playing with my top lip

And here's my advice. No one is perfect, and you wouldn't imagine what might go on behind some people's closed doors. So don't feel guilty about it. Enjoy it, because it truly is the only part of our disease that brings us any pleasure.

Maxine xxx

Tue Nov 1 2011 3:52:14 #
Tess
Member

Hi Maxine
I would add nail nibbling, hang nail chewing, belly button and nose picking and eating the sleep out of your eyes to the list. I think we all do some pretty distasteful things in private, problem arises when they become so enjoyable, habitual and compulsive that we do them in public too and embarrass others and cause ourselves visible sore places and scars. I recall the head of department many years ago when I worked for local authority who used to sit through meetings picking his nose and then rolling the dried snot into a ball in his fingers and after rolling it round endlessly he would eventually flick it away. Sometimes he would roll it around on the table and he was oblivious to what he was doing. Unfortunately others were not - I used to sit horrified and mesmerised to such an extent that it was well nigh impossible to concentrate on the discussions and I could not take my eyes off what he was doing for fear I would be on the receiving end of the product. Even now thirty + years down the line it is the one and only thing about this man which is permanently engraved into my memory. So my advice is that enjoyment needs to be combined with learning awareness.

Tue Nov 1 2011 10:09:57 #