To end compulsive hair pulling, you'll need to understand how important building the right support system can be.

Many professionals committed to helping hair pullers stop trichotillomania try to end it with medications, hypnotherapy, squeeze toys, or counseling. These can sometimes slow down the problem, but rarely end it for good. In fact, some methods may channel the "hair pulling need" into another addictive behavior.

Trichotillomania, also known as compulsive hair pulling, is a form of self-injury. Like other self-harming behaviors, compulsive hair pulling can stem from unresolved emotional distress or trauma and can quickly turn into a virulent habit or addiction even in very young children.

From the ages of twelve to thirty-nine, I suffered from compulsive hair pulling. For the past twelve and a half years I have been successfully healed from this compulsive behavior. Along my journey I learned many things. Here are three of the most important.

Trichotillomania, also known as compulsive hair pulling, is a disorder that causes people to pull out the hair from their scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows, or other parts of the body. For up to fifteen million Americans, it's a way to cope with life difficulties and uncomfortable feelings and beliefs.

Sometimes a journey begins when you have the ability to look at something in an entirely different way. For me, this change in perspective began when I decided to free myself from the inability to stop hair pulling after years of professional treatment proved unsuccessful.