Obsessive & Compulsive
Trichotillomania
Also known as Hair Pulling
Repeated pulling out of hair, often from the scalp, brows or lashes, usually to relieve tension or in a trance-like state.
What it can feel like
- Pulling, sometimes without noticing
- A build-up of tension before pulling and relief afterwards
- Noticeable hair loss or thinning
- Shame, and cover-up behaviours
- Time lost to pulling or searching for a particular hair type
Not everyone has every symptom, and you do not need a label to deserve support.
Things that help
Make pulling harder
Barriers such as plasters on fingertips, gloves, or a hat at your usual trigger times interrupt the automatic habit.
Change the trigger moment
Notice where and when it happens, then change the setting: stand up, move rooms, keep hands busy.
Track without judging
A simple count per day builds awareness, which is what habit-reversal training relies on.
Want to actually do these? Save them to your practices and tick them off as you go.
Add to my practicesWhen to reach for more support
Habit-reversal training is effective. Ask a GP about referral to a therapist familiar with body-focused repetitive behaviours.
Often looked at together
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Preoccupation with a perceived flaw in appearance that others cannot see, or see as minor, causing real distress and repetitive checking.
Hoarding Disorder
Persistent difficulty discarding possessions, whatever their value, leading to clutter that makes living spaces hard to use.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Intrusive, unwanted thoughts paired with rituals that briefly quiet the fear and then strengthen it.