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Hair Pulling
What Happens When a Child Can't Quit?
By Teri Brown
(Facilitated Recovery, 2004). Rohrer doesn't claim to be anything other than a recovered TTM sufferer who has, through trial and error, found techniques that help others. She considers TTM to be an addiction, a way for people to cope with toxic or uncomfortable feelings.
"Hair pulling doesn't hurt a compulsive hair puller," Rohrer says. "In fact, most report the behavior as soothing. Hair pullers pull out the hair from their scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows, pubic areas, legs, armpits and create noticeable bald patches. Some hair pullers eat the root [bulb] and even chew and swallow the hair. Some follow other habitual or ritual behaviors such as brushing hair against a cheek, for example. Many pull uncontrollably for hours each day."
"There are several hypotheses floating around, but not enough empirical data to really answer this question scientifically," Pearson says. "That said, it does seem that the children who develop TTM are, for the most part, quite intelligent, hyper-sensitive to stimuli, easily emotionally overwhelmed and may develop the behavior to help 'regulate' internal states. Patterns of pulling widely vary, but there are some general times that are often triggers for pulling, such as being tired, watching TV, riding in car seats, waking up or going to sleep, etc."
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