Support for People With Trich

One of the things we hear most often in the clinic from people suffering from trich is that they feel very alone, very isolated and very fearful. They are usually afraid that someone will find out about their pulling and they are burdened by the stress of guilt and shame. Most of the time, this only adds to their stress levels, which causes anxiety and an increased need to pull. Obviously, in order to stop pulling their hair out, they need to break this vicious cycle.

Many people find relief in some form of counseling. As we’ve mentioned in several other posts, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) works especially well for some people with trich. For many people, simply telling their story and how trich has affected their lives allows them to release a HUGE burden – for this, support groups are wonderful.

If you live in a large city, you may be able to find a local support group where you can go in person. Here is a great resource to see if there is a support group in your area: http://www.trich.org/treatment/support-groups.html.

Going to an actual group can be a big stretch for many people and/or they don’t have the luxury of having a local support group, so online support groups can play a vital role. There are many support groups out there, so find one that works for you. Here are a couple to get you started:

http://trichotillomania.supportgroups.com/

http://www.dailystrength.org/c/Trichotillomania-Hair-Pulling/support-group

http://www.mdjunction.com/trichotillomania-ttm

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/TLCTrichSupport/

Check some of these out, read some of the posts and get involved to your comfort level. There are a LOT of people out there that know exactly what you are going through and just connecting with them may help ease some of your pain. It certainly won’t hurt.

There is a great quote that I have posted in my office – “True understanding is found through compassion.” Nowhere is this more true than with trich. Reach out and let yourself be supported.

Trich – Two Kinds of Pulling

We spend a lot of time on this blog talking about the ins and outs of amino acid therapy as an effective solution to the underlying neurotransmitter imbalance(s) that often lead to trich. However, there is also a behavioral component that cannot be overlooked and must also be addressed. Most people experience both the ‘urge’ to pull and develop a ‘habit’ of pulling.

For instance, many people pull at certain times of day or under certain situations, such as while driving, while studying or when watching TV. They may not even notice that they are doing it. The key is what happens when they do notice – can they tell themselves to stop and move on without giving it another thought? Or do they then have to constantly think about it in an internal struggle not to begin pulling again?

When the underlying neurotransmitter imbalances have been addressed, the urge to pull disappears. However, the habit remains. The good news is that once the urge is gone, when a person catches themselves pulling, they can take a look at the situation and make a decision to stop pulling – and then let it go. Because the urge is gone, they no longer need to bother with any thought of pulling. If they catch themselves pulling again out of habit, they simply correct the behavior. This is in stark contrast to someone that has to continually battle with themselves to not pull their hair out.

Once the urge is gone, behavior modification therapies often are an incredible help. These can be as simple as sitting on ones hands or keeping the hands busy to help break those habitual patterns, or involve more in-depth therapy, such as cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). Many of our clients who had tried CBT in the past with little success report outstanding results once their neurotransmitter levels are balanced.

Differentiating between the urge and habit is important. Habits can be changed with time and attention. Urges require that the underlying biochemical imbalance be corrected.

To find a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist, visit the National Association of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapists website or the Trichotillomania Learning Centers Resource page.

Resources For Those With Trichotillomania

I was asked by a recent client about what resources were available for those that wanted to find out more about trichotillomania. The woman sitting across from me was bewildered with all the information on the internet in regards to trich and wanted my help to try and sort through it. Here are some great places to get you started if you need a reference point to learn more about trich, if you or someone you love has the disorder and what you can do about it.

General Information

WebMD: http://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/trichotillomania

Trichotillomania Learning Center: http://www.trich.org/

Tests for Trich

http://www.pamguide.com.au/anxiety/ttm_test.php – provides an easy self-test

http://www.ocdla.com/trichotillomania-hair-pulling-test.html – provides a more in-depth questionnaire, but you have to send your information out to get results from them

Treatments/Therapies for Trich

Neurotransmitter Function: http://www.neuroassist.com/trichotillomania-treatments.htm and http://stoppullinghairout.com/blog/

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: http://www.trich.org/treatment/options-cognitive.html

Trichotillomania and Stress

Here is a story that sounds so familiar that I wanted to share it:
Trichotillomania Story

In it, Michelle explains that her pulling started after a severe amount of stress and that she often pulls more when she is stressed out. This is very, very common as stress is one of the key reasons neurotransmitter imbalances develop (see our latest post on 2 Major Causes of Neurotransmitter Imbalance).

Even though you can rebalance your neurotransmitter levels through proper amino acid therapy, properly addressing chronic stress involves a lot more than taking pills. As Michelle points out, she feels she could deal with this much better with a strong support network; this is, in fact, exactly what we have found in our clinic as well. Luckily, that support network can be made up of not only people you can see day-to-day, but also those who you can interact with via social networks and online forums. The key is to feel and be connected – to others and often to whatever higher power you believe in.

Outside of staying connected and feeling supported, many people need to implement specific daily strategies to help them management stress. This may include psychotherapy, EMDR, meditation, yoga, deep breathing, exercise and any number of other daily or regular therapies to help them lessen the impact stress has on their lives.

It may not seem easy, but getting the pieces in place certainly raises the potential for eliminating the urge to pull. Once more, it also sets the stage for long term health and healing on many levels.

My Own Miracle

We see and hear every week from clients that are having success eliminating the urge to pull and conquering trich using targeted amino acid therapy. Just last week, I spoke with Jessica (name changed); here is her story in her own words:

“I believe I actually started “pulling” to a very minimal extent as a teenager.  I loved to find the really coarse, kinky hairs to pull out, but then I was able to stop.

Around 2005, I had an increased level of stress at my job, so I guess I soothed myself by pulling, but I still had some control over it, so it wasn’t obvious to anyone but my husband.  Just to note, I’ve always, until 2005, thought of my head of thick reddish brown hair as one of my best features.

As my stressors increased (from 2005) so did my pulling.  I had surfed the net long and hard, dismissing some treatments as too involved or difficult to access due to their being in another area of the country, or seeming like a gimmick.  Then, early this year (2011), I found articles about Dr. Chad and amino acid replacement therapy for trich.  I took a few days to read everything about it, also finding other sites to verify it, had my husband read some of the material, checked out Dr. Chad on the Madison BBB (Better Business Bureau), and then made my first phone appointment.

Once I spoke with Dr. Chad the first time, I really allowed myself to have hope that this therapy could work.   After starting the supplements, I noticed within a week that I was much less restless at night, and I was sleeping better.

After my second phone appointment with Dr. Chad, I was noticing that I would start pulling, but it was more out of habit than anything, and I would question myself, “Why am I pulling, I don’t feel the compulsion to pull”  and most importantly, I could stop.  I found that it helped to keep my hands busy during that time, so I did a lot of needlework.

Now that I am a few more weeks into treatment, I can happily report that I no longer have any compulsion to pull, though occasionally I will pull a hair or two out of habit.

My hair is growing back in very nicely; even my husband checked it and seemed pleased.  If you are looking for a wonderful treatment for your trich, you have very little to lose by trying Dr. Chad’s therapy.  It’s easy, based on sound science, and very effective.  Dr. Chad and the amino acid replacement therapy have been a Godsend to me, my own miracle.”

Jessica’s hope turned into her “own miracle”. She wanted to share her story in the hopes that others may benefit from it. If you or someone you know would like to stop pulling once and for all, please look around this site and do whatever research you need to. Once you are ready, give us a call and we’ll get you started; you can eliminate the urge to pull, and we can help you do it.

Is Trichotillomania a Medical Mystery?

I just watched a video on YouTube titled – Trichotillomania: A True Medical Mystery – where they interviewed a medical doctor who explained that trich is baffling because so little is known about it. That was in 2008. Today, although the underlying imbalances that can lead to trich are much better understood, the medical therapies and treatments for trich have changed very little. One of the reasons is that trich is not caused by a deficiency of any drug or medical treatment, so there is no permanent solution using those techniques. However, for many people suffering from trich, imbalances in brain chemicals (called neurotransmitters) can cause or exacerbate the compulsion to pull.

Over the past nine years, our understanding of the underlying biochemical imbalances that can lead to trich (and many other disorders, including depression, anxiety, migraines, insomnia, compulsions, over-eating and chronic pain) has greatly expanded. This site will contain much of that information; you can also visit www.neuroassist.com and www.chknutrition.com to locate other research and products that can expand your knowledge of how amino acid therapy can help you or someone you love eliminate the urge to pull.

Reuptake Inhibitors Don’t Work

At least, not most of the time.

Reuptake inhibitors represent a $20+ billion dollar industry. The first reuptake inhibitors were known as ‘nonspecific reuptake inhibitors’ or ‘tricyclic antidepressants’ and were introduced in 1958. The first selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) was introduced in the US in 1989. In order to receive approval, a drug must demonstrate that it is safe and effective. One would assume that this means the drug demonstrates significantly better results than the placebo. However, the data for reuptake inhibitors in the treatment of depression shows a completely different story.

There is a great summary of 20 double blind, placebo controlled studies on www.neuroassist.com. In summary, these studies indicate that only 7% of people showed relief of symptoms greater than placebo (sugar pills); the placebo effect in these studies alone is 30-40%. The moral of the story is that less than 1 in 10 people are helped by reuptake inhibitors – a staggering fact in light of how often they are prescribed.

However, the problems don’t stop there. Reuptake inhibitors actually make neurotransmitter imbalance worse in everyone that takes them. That is the reason why some people have immediate significant side effects, while others develop side effects over time. It is also why often the drugs seem to quit working over time (prompting a stronger prescription or other drug recommendations) and why almost everyone that tries to come off these drugs after a period of time feels worse than they did before going on them.

The National Institute of Drug Abuse web site contains a discussion on how reuptake inhibitors deplete neurotransmitters. In essence, what happens is that by blocking the reuptake of neurotransmitters (i.e., serotonin, dopamine or norepinephrine), these drugs cause more neurotransmitters to be exposed to conditions that increase their metabolism and destruction. The long-term effect is neurotransmitter depletion. This means that these drugs are actually making the cause of the problem worse.

However, when people that have been taking these drugs try to stop, the full effects of depleted neurotransmitters are observed (which have been made significantly worse by the drug), and the person feels worse. The drug has effectively created a condition where people do not want to stop the drug because of the way they feel due to neurotransmitter depletion caused by the drugs.

Neurotransmitters do not cross the blood brain barrier. The only way to increase neurotransmitter levels in the brain is by administering the nutrients the brain needs in the right proportions to allow the brain to make the necessary neurotransmitters. The amino acid nutrients needed for synthesis of serotonin and the catecholamines (dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine) need to be provided in proper balance to be effective. In some people, this means laboratory testing may be needed to determine the correct balance. This is true whether a person wishes to remain on reuptake inhibitors or not (if someone chooses to remain on reuptake inhibitors long term, a foundation of the appropriate amino acids and cofactors can be taken to stop further neurotransmitter depletion due to the medications).

At this point, a larger question often comes to mind – something along the lines of ‘how can a drug that only works 7% of the time be prescribed so often?’ I believe the answer is that people demand it – they know they don’t like how they feel and they want to feel better. The medical doctors they go to see have few tools in this regard that provide lasting relief, but they do have tools. So they use the tools they have at hand (reuptake inhibitors and other drugs).

However, there is a better, more effective, and safer long term solution. Amino acid therapy can help rebalance the underlying imbalances responsible for these conditions in most cases, without the side effects and long term depletion of reuptake inhibitors.

Five Things Mothers Don’t Know About Trichotillomania

photo credit: rachaelshapiro

Mothers today have access to a lot of medical information, thanks to the Internet.  Yet even with ubiquity of material on the web, sometimes there can be a surprising scarcity of resources.  Especially with a condition like trichotillomania.

Trichotillomania is a disorder in which people compulsively pick, often targeting eyelashes, eyebrows or the hair on their head.  It affects 3 – 5 percent of the population, yet there isn’t an abundance of good scientific information available on the subject.

Okay, mom, since you’re searching, we won’t disappoint.  Here are 5 things mothers don’t know about trichotillomania. more »

Great sources for trichotillomania support

photo credit: Debra Mason

At http://stoppullinghairout.com, we talk a lot about the physical approach you can take to stop pulling hair out.  The clients we’ve seen achieve dramatic results have corrected their neurotransmitter imbalances and properly adjusted their diet.

But there is always the issue of psychological support.  And we want you to make sure you’re aware of the various websites and bloggers who are out there doing a good job to lend support and allow people to talk about trich.

It’s trichy

This is a great blog, and it’s trichy gets a lot of positive feedback.  She recently posted pictures of herself, showing how she’s looked through the years.  Very brave.  She also talks about different approaches she’s tried to stop pulling hair out.  Check our comments on the section – we had some comments on NAC.

TrichWorld

This is a unique social network for people with trichotillomania.

Pulling out hair

Another blog, with lots of people visiting and leaving messages about their own stories.

Pulling out hair (It’s a different blog.)

A blog run by Penny, in which she states:  I started OnTrich (a trichotillomania blog) to try and raise awareness about hair pulling, and also as a way to help me deal with my own pulling. I’m a 23 year old girl from the UK and I’ve been pulling for 13 years. Get in touch if you want to chat or need any help – I love meeting people here.

It’s a great blog and she encourages guest bloggers.

Trichotillomania Learning Center

This is one of the biggest and most respected sites out there.  Founded by Christina Pearson, her motivation to launch the site was not unlike those of other bloggers in this post:  “After years of suffering alone, Christina set out to change the world for hair pullers and skin pickers.”

The TLC does have information about trichotillomania support groups.

We are always on the lookout for other great resources we can post on our blog.  If you know of other great sites, please let us know!

She wants to stop pulling hair out

One of the great things about social media is that everyone’s story can be told – including people who suffer from trichotillomania.

One story can be seen on YouTube.  A woman named “friedamour” talks about her struggles to stop pulling hair out in a series of videos.

It’s reassuring to know you’re not alone – but Friedamour’s videos also show how difficult it is for people to overcome this condition.  In the first video, she talks about how she’s on the road to recovery.  By the fourth video, she’s pulling again. more »