How do you talk to your child about trichotillomania?

Answer 1

Even though I'm not a parent dealing with how to talk to their child about hair pulling, I grew up thinking that it was just a terrible habit. But the truth is, just motivating your child to quit their "habit" is just as bad as telling them that there's something wrong with them; because in the end, they can't "just" quit becaue it isn't a habit. I'm not saying that motivating your child to make a change is a bad idea at all! Just don't confront it as if it were a habit. Here are a few "rules" to follow when speaking with your child:

1) It's not a bad habit! Don't tell them just to stop. It's more damaging and discouraging than you can imagine.

2) Make sure they know that even though it is a disorder (or if you'd like to say medical condition that's good too), it won't affect them from being a great student, having lots of friends, or living a normal life.

3) Tell them the truth. That even though a small handful of people are aware of trichotillomania, they are MILLIONS of people who have it as well and they are not alone!

4) After reading trichotillomania blogs online or reading books about it and how to deal with it (there are a lot of good ones), let them read a few of them so they can fully understand that there are other people who do the same, feel the same, and even have it worse.

5) Don't go around telling ANYONE about your son's/daughter's condition! Only tell someone if they fully agree to it. It's okay to keep it to yourselves. It takes time to take the plunge.

6) Ask your child if they are interested in getting some help. There are numerous psychologists who can help and there are also numerous methods used to help this disorder. Make sure you research well online to see which treatment would suit the preference of your child and budget. Don't push! If your child does not want to see a specialist don't bug them about it! They'll ask for help when they need it.

Best of luck to you all!