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Should I go to the GP if i pull my hair

I've been doing it for really long maybe 1 and a half years, but my mum doesn't want me to go :frown:. I'm not sure how to book it myself, I just want to stop pulling it. The only reason I asked her was because I'm 15 so i can't do it alone apparently. Can anyone give me instructions on how to do it myself?

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Original post by Anonymous
I've been doing it for really long maybe 1 and a half years, but my mum doesn't want me to go :frown:. I'm not sure how to book it myself, I just want to stop pulling it. The only reason I asked her was because I'm 15 so i can't do it alone apparently. Can anyone give me instructions on how to do it myself?


Are you doing it more when you are stressed? It is another way of SHing. You can call up your GP and ask for an appointment, and talk to them.
I think you'd probably be best off seeing a therapist or a psychiatrist. They'll be able to help you, find out your triggers, when it started, events in your life and maybe another alternative to pulling out your hair.
The GP would probably just recommend the same. It's more common than you think it is. I know someone who pulls out her eyelashes and eyebrows. Don't let it beat you down. You're 15 and you'll get through it ❤️
Original post by Wannabevetnurse
Are you doing it more when you are stressed? It is another way of SHing. You can call up your GP and ask for an appointment, and talk to them.

Yeah I do it when I'm stressed or i do it randomly and just sit for ages doing nothing but that. I wouldnt call it SHin g tho
Original post by MeilieneX
I think you'd probably be best off seeing a therapist or a psychiatrist. They'll be able to help you, find out your triggers, when it started, events in your life and maybe another alternative to pulling out your hair.
The GP would probably just recommend the same. It's more common than you think it is. I know someone who pulls out her eyelashes and eyebrows. Don't let it beat you down. You're 15 and you'll get through it ❤️

Thank you, I don't think my parents would go that far, that's why i might go to the GP, I'm just not sure how
Original post by Anonymous
Yeah I do it when I'm stressed or i do it randomly and just sit for ages doing nothing but that. I wouldnt call it SHin g tho


do you do it to the point where you feel the pain? dyu know that you have gone too far?
Original post by Wannabevetnurse
do you do it to the point where you feel the pain? dyu know that you have gone too far?


I think i just find it satisfying even when there's pricks of pain
Original post by Anonymous
Thank you, I don't think my parents would go that far, that's why i might go to the GP, I'm just not sure how

Is there a pastoral care team at your school? They will be able to sort something out for you. I know the school isn't probably who you'd want to tell but they have access to plenty of services and they have to keep it confidential.
(edited 1 year ago)
Original post by MeilieneX
Is there a pastoral care team at your school? They will be able to sort something out for you. I know the school isn't probably who you'd want to tell but they have access to plenty of services and they have to keep it confidential.

Thank youu! I'll try to get courage to tell them
Hi, this is probably a sort of OCD! Go to your Gp and get referred to a psychiatrist and therapist. It’s called trichotillomania. I do the same but with my skin. I also find it satisfying. Definitely go see a doctor for it. Your mum doesn’t know how serious this is or she doesn’t see it as an illness.
Original post by Anonymous
Hi, this is probably a sort of OCD! Go to your Gp and get referred to a psychiatrist and therapist. It’s called trichotillomania. I do the same but with my skin. I also find it satisfying. Definitely go see a doctor for it. Your mum doesn’t know how serious this is or she doesn’t see it as an illness.


Hi thank you, do therapists or psychiatrists cost money ?
Original post by Anonymous
Hi thank you, do therapists or psychiatrists cost money ?

Only if it’s private :smile:
It might take a while due to the horrendously long waiting list but it’s worth it. Your Gp can also prescribe you Sertraline which reduces anxiety which causes you to pull out your hair. Take the medication while you’re on the waiting list. Then you’ll start therapy. BUT if they say they’re only going to treat you for 2 months, say that you need at least a year long treatment because people usually relapse after 2 months. You need more time than that. Later if you realise you’re better but not fully better, ask your psychiatrist to change your meds. Sometimes you’d have to change the meds for something that suits your body.
If you have any more questions please tell me!

Also a psychiatrist is a doctor that monitors your meds! However a therapist is not a doctor but does therapy with you.

My psychiatrist is also a therapist but she’s private from abroad and I video call her for 30 min sessions which are great.
Original post by Anonymous
Only if it’s private :smile:
It might take a while due to the horrendously long waiting list but it’s worth it. Your Gp can also prescribe you Sertraline which reduces anxiety which causes you to pull out your hair. Take the medication while you’re on the waiting list. Then you’ll start therapy. BUT if they say they’re only going to treat you for 2 months, say that you need at least a year long treatment because people usually relapse after 2 months. You need more time than that. Later if you realise you’re better but not fully better, ask your psychiatrist to change your meds. Sometimes you’d have to change the meds for something that suits your body.
If you have any more questions please tell me!

Also a psychiatrist is a doctor that monitors your meds! However a therapist is not a doctor but does therapy with you.

My psychiatrist is also a therapist but she’s private from abroad and I video call her for 30 min sessions which are great.


Thank you!! I think I pull my hair also when I get bored - sort of or zoned out, I tried stress balls but they don't help really . Do u think that the meds will help with concentration aswell?
Original post by Anonymous
Thank you!! I think I pull my hair also when I get bored - sort of or zoned out, I tried stress balls but they don't help really . Do u think that the meds will help with concentration aswell?


I had intrusive thoughts with my ocd so they’ve almost died down, I don’t pick my skin much anymore except whenever I get really really terrifyingly stressed. It really does help with concentration but sometimes the first med you use isn’t the one that will have effect but sometimes it could do! All our bodies are different so will react to medication differently because of our dna.
Original post by Anonymous
I had intrusive thoughts with my ocd so they’ve almost died down, I don’t pick my skin much anymore except whenever I get really really terrifyingly stressed. It really does help with concentration but sometimes the first med you use isn’t the one that will have effect but sometimes it could do! All our bodies are different so will react to medication differently because of our dna.

Ok thank you so much for the advice!! I was hoping that it could help with concentration such asfor studying, instead of picking my hair
Original post by Anonymous
Ok thank you so much for the advice!! I was hoping that it could help with concentration such asfor studying, instead of picking my hair


It definitely will :smile:
explain everything to the Gp that youve told me. Good luck!!
Yes I wouldn’t definitely recommend speaking to your GP so they can refer you to a specialist/for therapy etc. I wish I’d done that years ago when I used to pull out my hair :smile:
(edited 1 year ago)
Original post by flaurie
Yes I wouldn’t definitely recommend speaking to your GP so they can refer you to a specialist/for therapy etc. I wish I’d done that years ago when I used to pull out my hair :smile:

How did you stop pulling?
Original post by Anonymous
I've been doing it for really long maybe 1 and a half years, but my mum doesn't want me to go :frown:. I'm not sure how to book it myself, I just want to stop pulling it. The only reason I asked her was because I'm 15 so i can't do it alone apparently. Can anyone give me instructions on how to do it myself?


Hi. I'm 16 years old. I also pull my hair. I do it so frequently to the point where I zone out and don't even realise I'm doing it. Growing up, I used to be fascinated by hair all the time. From the early ages of 5, I used to eat hair. When I have even as young as 10, I used to pull it. My Mum decided to cut my hair short into a bob and that somehow got me to stop pulling. When I started Year 11, there was a situation at school, and I was placed in a learning support unit. I was isolated from the school for 5 months. While I was here, I started pulling my hair again. This place at my school was similar to an exclusion unit. It definitely triggered my hair pulling. Not only this, but I was beginning my GCSE's. I was 15 as well, so the same age as you. This condition was life-changing to me. I remember I used to pull my hair from the back when no one was looking, and play with it under the tables in the room. After 5 months in the unit, my school sent me back to normal lessons to mingle with my year group again before GCSEs. Everyone in my school noticed the thinning of my hair. Even after I came out, it was human instinct for me to keep pulling whenever I had the opportunity. After GCSEs, and into the summer break I pulled SO much more. My Mum didn't want me going therapy because she didn't want it on my medical record - especially since I want to do Medicine. It's not that I wanted to pull my hair though. Every night I would cry myself to sleep thinking about all the damage I'd done to myself. The guilt seeps in all the time. But in the moment, you just want to pull. No one in my family understands that to this day. After summer, I started sixth form. I moved schools because I couldn't face everyone at my current school. Before sixth form, I got my mum to put extensions in my hair. All the hair I'd pulled had been from the back of my head, so luckily the bald patches weren't noticeable. I spent £1200 on these extensions. All my summer work money. I went to sixth form feeling my confident self again. A week into these extensions, I found myself reaching to pull the top of my head. I couldn't even control my hand. I remember saying to myself "One pull won't do anything". And then I zoned out for god knows how long. Next thing I know, there's a puddle of hair on my lap. The pulling had come back again. It's been exactly a year since I've started pulling. It's affected me in so many ways. I don't feel the same at all. I used to be a confident social butterfly. Now I'm quiet and shy because I feel insecure. I've developed a bald patch at my crown of my head which is not coverable AT ALL. Today, my Mum went with me to buy a wig. I went home and cried my eyes out. I realise that it's too late to do anything. My Mum hasnt got me any therapy yet. She went to refer to CAHMS but the waiting list is months. She's looking for private but she doesn't seem in a rush to do it at all. I can't bare going to school with a wig on. I don't want to go to school at all. If anything, I might just wear a scarf on my head. Just know that you aren't alone in this, Trich is a real thing and it's not fake. We all need to share our stories and spread awareness. I just wish more people opened up because when I first started doing it, I felt so alone and crazy. I know that I'll never be the girl I once was and it hurts me all the time.
Original post by Anonymous
How did you stop pulling?

For the first few weeks of fully committing to stopping pulling I would always have some blu-tack in my hand or pocket, or a stress ball or would doodle on paper - so that whenever i felt an urge then i could 'distract' myself with something else. I tried not to look in mirrors, or at least not for long as i found them a big trigger for me.
Over time (with some ups and downs along the way) i found myself starting to pull less, and be strict with myself if i caught myself pulling.
(edited 1 year ago)

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