Son Pulls Out His Hair Without Realizing It
While my son is watching TV or playing games, he doesn’t realize it, but he is pulling his hair out.
What can we do to help him be conscious of it and stop?
Seems like your son has the condition called trichotillomania, which is a compulsive disorder characterized by the urge of pulling out hair from different areas. This is one of the common causes of hair loss in children and is usually self limiting. This condition that is often an obsessive-compulsive disorder and it could be aggravated in children by stress and environmental factors. You should see a psychiatrist or at the least his pediatrician for further evaluation of your child. If the problem persists, it will eventually produce permanent hair loss (traction alopecia) in the area that the picking is focused.
Look to:
- KidsHealth.org – Trichotillomania
- Obessive Compulsive Foundation – Hair Pulling
- MedlinePlus – Child Behavior Disorders
- Trich.org – Support Groups
Also, please read this previous posting, I Am Pulling My Hair Out and Need Advice.
There is help for parents of kids with trichotillomania.
I truly acknowledge this parent for being aware of her son’s plucking and wanting to do something about it.
No one in my family ever tried to help me with it. I was very ashamed of it and it was my dirty little secret until this past year after over 30 years of plucking, shame, embarrassment and hiding.
If you can spare your son that anguish and get him help now, I commend you for being aware and taking the necessary steps.
Please visit my blog for my story – maybe it will give you some insights about your son. And there are resources specifically for parents of hair-pluckers as well.
http://www.heal-hair-pulling.info.
Your son’s story sounds familiar – I started while watching TV, then I would do it when reading. Here’s the rub – plucking makes us think we’re DOING something when we’re not. It’s always done during very passive activities like watching TV, reading and computer work. It’s a passive activity masquerading as an active action, while also doing something passive. What helps me now is just to get out for a walk when I anticipate the combination of boredom, static/passive activity and/or extreme fatigue. If your son is not getting regular exercise, this could help some, but it doesn’t address the underlying issues. See my blog and the resources there. I hope it helps.
I thank the author of this blog for sharing my comments and blog address here.