Hair Pulling Advice

Hi J.. I have a sister who has trichotillomania. We are old now (in our 40s), but I clearly remember that it started at a very young age. Back then, of course, no one had a clue as to what was going on. I have done some research on it over many years and as you probably know, i think its considered an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. However, the Kennedy Krieger website describes it as as habit disorder. So I guess the other option is that it could simply be behavioral stage.

I would definitely keep seeking professionals who can tell you more about what steps you can take to modify behavior b/c what little i know from our personal experience is that it does not seem to cease on its own. Maybe the cause will not be clear, and maybe it doesn't need to be, but if you can find a way to treat the behavior and divert it, it will go a long way. Its important given that as she grows up, it will become an issue of self-esteem, as you can imagine. I feel for you as I know its distressing,and support you wholeheartedly in continuing to seek out help. Maybe your ped can recommend a child psychiatrist w/ whom you can touch base.

BTW, The information on KKI is at kennedykrieger.org and its under the Pediatric Development Disorders Clinic. It lists Nancy Grace PhD as the lead. It would be worth a call and an assessment if you haven't gone there already.
Here is the info:
To make a referral or request an initial evaluation:
Contact our Care Management Office
Toll-Free Referral: (888) 554-2080
Local Referral: ###-###-####

Wish the best for you. L.

You may want to seek the help of a pediatric occupational therapist. I havent read any of the other responses, but this may be a sensory problem. When a person takes in information from the environment, their brain processes it and we elicit a specific response to the input. When a person/child cant process this input then they seek out a response that helps them even if it is not an appropriate response.
www.aota.org or your state OT associtation can help you find a pediatric therapist. Or just your local yellow pages. You do want someone who has sensory processing experience.
I hope that helps.
G.

I had a slightly different problem with my middle daughter. She wanted to "play" with my hair all the time( while she nursed, when she got a boo-boo, to go to sleep, etc...) and would pull my hair out in the process. I had long hair at the time and my older daughter had this barbie styling head and I would put it next to her so she could play with that hair (it was similar to mine). She seemed to be okay with it but still reached for my hair when I would bend down to kiss her or buckle her in the car seat. I don't know much about that condition and don't know if something like that would encourage your daughter to mess with different hair. This might be really stupid advice but you might give it a try. I hope you find something that helps!

In the beginning of the current school year I had a little girl in my 2 years old class (I'm preschool teacher)who did the same. She was almost bald for pulling her hair off all the time. Her mommy tried almost everything: pediatrician, behavioral specialist, web search, nothing worked, until she decided to "shave" all her hair off and apply baby oil on her scalp. I know it could sound as a "dramatic idea", but it worked as magic. First you could see she was trying to pull those little spots of hair left, just for a few days. Because of the baby oil, she couldn't. Then, it seemed like her brain "got the message", braking the "routine". Almost 4 months after that, her beautiful hair is growing again, she didn't even try anymore. I have to tell you that there were not any issues with this pretty and cute little girl. She was always happy, good behavior, and an absolutely normal 2's. I also have to tell you that mommy first tried with just baby oil, before "shaved off" but it didn't work. Combination of both worked perfectly. Hope this can help you. Good luck!

Dear J.,

I wasn't familiar with trichotillomania so I did a search on the illness. It sounds pretty serious. I found a website that offers a video program and guarantees to help stop the problem or 100% of your money back. Probably too good to be true, but it can't hurt for you to check it out. You might want to share it with your pediatrician and see if he/she can find out anything about it. Here's the website - http://www.trichtreatment.com/

Best of luck to you.