October 29, 2003
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Trichotillomania
My 76-year-old neighbor told me that her great granddaughter at age 6 is pulling out her lashes and eyebrow hair to the point where it is noticeable. I’d not heard of this symptom before, though I recall my daughter twirling her hair around her finger a lot in childhood. Apparently, it falls into the category of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and can be caused by a number of things and has no particular treatment. In this case, the little girl’s parents have just gone through a nasty divorce and her mother has immediately married again. I’m thinking now of all the little people in the world who are coping in the only way their instincts tell them to with the hard rough edges of life and wishing that each and everyone of them will get a hug from someone today.
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Deep Thought: I think a good product would be “Baby Duck Hat”. It’s a fake baby duck, which you strap on top of your head. Then you go swimming underwater until you find a mommy duck and her babies, and you join them. Then, all of a sudden, you stand up out of the water and roar like Godzilla. Man, those ducks really take off! Also, Baby Duck Hat is good for parties.
Comments (7)
The daughter of an old friend of my mom’s pulled out all her eyelashes and eyebrow hair in her teens. I was only seven or eight at the time and couldn’t grasp why anyone would do something like that.
The ways we deal with grief and stress are as many and varied as we, and still, our circumstances are never as unique as we imagine. We’re never alone in our experiences. Always, somewhere, there’s someone who’s been through the same thing and can truly understand.
I am always so sad to read stories like this
. My heart is with all the children facing such stress at such a young age. 
I still fuss with my hair, but I agree, I hope every child who is suffering finds love somewhere today.
(P.S. tell the kids I got the presents and I love them — the presents and the kids).
God bless the lil ones!!
It is a tough place for grown-ups who know (sometimes!) what is going on & why. It has to be terrible for the little ones. Prayers for your little friend!!
That’s sad…I was a sad little kid and met a lot of troubled children when I was institutionalized in my childhood.
…But the Baby Duck Hat thing was very funny!
~blu myyst
I used to have trichotillomania all throughout middle school and high school. i pulled out ALL of my eyelashes, so it was VERy noticeable. i was embarrassed to look people in the eye. Luckily I got rid of the habit by wearing fake lashes 24/7 so i couldn’t touch my own lashes. unfortunately 6 is too young for fake lashes…
Just thought I’d post that, maybe it will help someone