Anyone else do this?

[WindyCityHair]

Ever since I started to lose my hair I find myself constantly tugging and pulling at my hair to see how many I can take out with one pull.

I noticed last week while sitting in class, driving or doing homework I'm constantly doing this.

I keep pulling at it until I get two or three pulls in a row where no hair comes out then I stop for a little bit. Then start all over again. I must lose over 30 hairs a day doing this. But I don't even notice when I do it anymore.

ahhh

 

[BadHairDecade]

Try to stop yourself. There's a condition known as Trichotillomania. Sounds like you may be in the beginning stages of it.

Trichotillomania

The name of a psychological condition which results in an obsession with plucking or pulling on one's own body or scalp hair. There are several problems that can result from this activity, and the psychology behind it can be confusing. Commonly treatable in children, adults with this condition rarely recover.

http://www.hairlosstalk.com/research/al ... omania.htm

 

[Zen2Bald]

I doubt this person has Trichotillomania

Trichotillomania is irrational hair pulling.

Pulling hair because of being obsessed with baldness is not the same thing.

 

[Deaner]

Well said Zen2Bald. The psychology behind the 2 are totally different. If you look further into Trichotillomania, you'll see that the person often doesn't even consciously realize they're doing it. This hair pulling is entirely conscious, and done as a test mechanism. Even so, I recommend you don't continue this, it can't do any good for your hair.

 

[Atlas]

I find myself doing something similar, except i rub the area where hair is falling out.

 

[gonna_win]

STOP IT, FORCE YOUR SELF TO STOP IT OR RISK PULLING THEM ALL OUT

 

[ropcat]

When I was first shedding on finasteride, I'd sit over a desk and lightly rub my head and watch all the hairs fall out onto the desk or the open pages of a book. Probably it was my obsession with the shedding. It was pretty depressing. Then again, I *did* know for sure when I'd stopped shedding since I stopped getting a heap of hair on the desk. And I didn't have as many hairs sitting on the shoulders of my shirt during the day, since they'd all come out during this. But I'm talking about *lightly* rubbing my hands through my hair (like in the shower), not yanking them. And I'm not advocating this! But it's pretty normal to be obsessed with all the hair coming out during a shedding phase, especially the first one.

 

[Greg1]

Eeesh! Something that has worked for me is to mentally think of a huge red STOP! sign when you notice that you are doing it. Also, find something else for your fingers to do ...no, I was'nt talking about that It's a nervous twitch that you need to stop or it could lead to further hair loss IMO.

 

[BadHairDecade]

If you look further into Trichotillomania, you'll see that the person often doesn't even consciously realize they're doing it. This hair pulling is entirely conscious, and done as a test mechanism.

Like many other OCD's, there are degreees of severity.

My reasonoing behind thinking he may be in some sort of early stage of Trichotillomania is because he said:

But I don't even notice when I do it anymore.

If you read the article you'll also see that it says:

These behaviors can occur deliberately, semiconsciously, or often unconsciously

Deaner I suggest you read the whole article. It's short and to the point.