Lissa
Message 1 of 1
This is extremely difficult for me to write, so you will have to bare with me. I should start by stating that I have trichotillomania, and I am 23 years old. Having this disorder has impacted my life in many ways.. I don't know if you would be interested in knowing how, so I will leave that up to you to let me know. What I really wanted to express to those of you whom have children with trichotillomania, is to remember that your children are not doing this to hurt you. Trichotillomania is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. I think my Mother believed that I was pulling out my eyelashes just to hurt her. And she did some very unthinkable things to try to prevent me from pulling out my eyelashes. For example, she believed that the only time I pulled out my eyelashes was while I was sleeping, so she tied my hands to the bedposts. I know it's frustrating because you don't have all the answers. Just know that your child is equally frustrated. There is very little will power or control involved with this disorder, and many times there is no control what so ever. I remember looking in the mirror, pulling out my eyelashes and thinking to myself "I don't want to do this, why can't I stop?" Let let your children know that you love them reguardless how many eyelashes or eyebrows or how much hair they have. At one point, when I was in junior high, i had absolutely NO eyelashes or eyebrows. And I am happy to say that today, at the age of 23 I have my eyebrows and more than 75% of my eyelashes. I am begining to feel "normal" again. Once I read that for some children, when their body chemistry changes during puberty, the imbalance in the brain .. balances .. and the symptoms disappear; and that when those whose symptoms last past puberty, sometimes they disappear in their 20's. I can't say if that bit of information is 100% correct, but it has been my hope that it is. Having gone through what your child is going through, I hope you can learn from my experiences .. let me know if there is anything I can do, or if you have any questions..please ask. Sincerely, Lissa