Suffering from it since i was 13 im 26 now nearly 27 (male) its an absolute life wrecker and people who don’t have it will never understand

*i was also 12 when i started pulling out my eyelashes & today i am making the conscious decision to stop, while being patient with myself in the process. anyone reading this: please pray for me. i’m sending you all love, light, & healing energy* 🕊

When the stress rises, I feel my fingers tingle, as they reach for the hair again. Then, I wonder: when will it be over 😞

“He gently grabbed my hand, and I gently resisted the urge to punch him.” 😂 FELT THAT, it really is like that. Sometimes if I’m pulling around my best friend he gently grabs my hand and I know it’s for my own good... But every time it’s like white hot rage fills me because the only thing I want to do is feed that obsession.

i pull out those rough and thick hair because it is satisfying. now i have bald patches on my scalp

I’m still in shock this has a name I can’t believe after all these years It has a name I’m crying as I type this This story hits home The way she describes it The shame I thought something was wrong with me Like how twisted I must be So much shame But I can’t believe this is a real thing omg

I know that feeling I'm crying rn

Trichotillomania needs more awareness!! I’m from Kansas and no one knows what this disorder actually is. If my family member hadn’t studied psychology in college, I don’t think I would’ve ever been able to diagnose this disorder!

“Just stop!” Yup, cured. My hair just grew back immediately! It’s so embarrassing. I am ashamed. But I will beat this and get my beautiful hair back.

I’ve struggled with hair pulling ever since I could remember. I am currently 15 years old and feel SO much community because of your story. It’s comforting to know that I’m not alone and that there is a cure, thank you❤️

Im suffering and it’s been going on for too long :(

okay min 2 and i started crying so bad this made me realize im not alone

Wow i want to show this to all my friends and family who just cant understand that I CANT JUST STOP PULLING.

I started pulling my scalp hair when I started high school, started getting bald spots in the back of my head. I was so ashamed of it I never thought I could stop. People made fun of me and not even my parents believed me when I told them it's a disorder called trichotilomania. Anyways I'm 23 years old and I finally overcame it, my secret : OIL MASSAGES!!! I cannot stress this enough, be alert of where your hands are and when you get an urge to pull try massaging instead... rosemary oil personally worked wonders for me... I have a full head with thick hair now... I know it's easier said then done and I'm not saying this is going to happen overnight.. took me a about 2 years to heal and regrow my hair. Thx xx

I just want to stay in my room forever. I still can't accept.

only the people that have it will understand, this honestly made me cry and reading the comments knowing there’s people that actually understand and don’t think i’m weird .

Anybody reading this and suffering from the same problem - be strong, we all can make it!

I cried reading the title because I never thought I would get help

I’ve noticed that my biggest trigger was stress from school, which inevitably led to procrastination and lack of motivation to even complete assignments. During quarantine I felt relief from the time off, but after starting this semester my hair pulling has gotten to the point where I don’t even notice how long it happens for, then all of a sudden its 3 am. I’m 21 but i started pulling around the beginning or before high school so 12/13. I started with eyelashes because of the whole make a wish thing we used to do as kids, and now i slide my nails against the rough textured hairs or try to pull each strand of hair straight to remove the bumpiness. I want to stop so badly but my hands don’t.

I’ve suffered with Trich since I was 12 I was severely bullied and had no idea what I was doing to myself .. I’m now 25. I’ve pulled all my eyelashes and some of my eyebrows, it continues to this day. It’s a rough road .. if you have Trich I feel the ache in your heart .. I feel your pain .. keep looking forward. We can conquer.

I also suffer from trichtillomania. I pull from my scalp and sometimes my eyebrows to. I hate this disorder. It takes away my pride and beauty.

I just dont know how to stop doing it

Wow I feel so overwhelmed seeing so many people here go through the same thing. While this habit comes from stress and anxiety, mine is also linked with ocd/perfection. I feel like a certain weird hair with weird texture and split ends doesn't deserve to be on my head and I keep pulling it out 😓

I am crying because i never thought someone out there actually feels the same way that I do🥺

That feeling when you look down and see an eyebrow under your fingernail and want to cry just knowing that it is getting worse and looking worse, it hurts my heart and makes me want to cry with every eyebrow

When she said “Dr google told me” it was laughable but so relatable. I remember when I was 11 there was very little information on the internet about Trich, people were not as aware, and frankly, too ashamed to speak up. I remember googling, and going to youtube trying to hear someone talk about this. I am now 19, and have spoken up about it on some social media platforms to show awareness. I find this so empowering, her research on this disorder gives a lot of insight and makes us feel less lonely. 15 years battling this disorder, self image issues, anxiety, hours upon hours of sessions, hiding out in my room to relieve what it going on internally, does not and will not define those of us who have it. So many of us have suffered in silence, we have hidden our biggest secret, ashamed of what others would think. Do you know how strong you are the moment you become self aware? 💗

I started pulling from the left side of my head at age 11. I combed hair over the bald spots from hair on the right side. Then, one day in gym class, the teacher saw!! This was in 1965, a year after the Beatles made long hair on boys legitimate. In small town Wisconsin in 1965, no one ever heard of such a thing or had any idea what to do about it. I was half bald for almost 4 years. Strange thing about trich is that I only felt the urge to pull from either the left side, or the cowlick part of my head. Absolutely no desire to pull from anywhere else. Another ritual was to first twirl the hair, isolate one, "snap it" and then put it in my mouth. The hair had to be the "right" thickness when I chewed on it or I wasn't satisfied. How I stopped. I am now 67 years old and stopped cold at age 15. The desire to pull remains to this day (so much for re-wiring the brain). My father smoked 2 packs a day. He asked me, "Why do you pull out your hair? I don't understand it!" I said, "Sure you do. You smoke two packs a day. Why don't you stop smoking?" He threw down the gauntlet: "If I stop, will you?" Tears welled up because I knew I couldn't do it. I said, "Yes." He stopped and I stopped. I told my brain: "Yes, I hear you. I know what you want but you're not getting it. Now leave me alone." My brain didn't believe me and just increased his nagging (an "extinction burst" they call that in ABA land). I would reply, "Uh, look, I feel sorry for you, but really, I've already told you, NO and that's it." I stopped. Over the years, I would find that on the oft occasion (usually when I'm driving and lost-no GPS in those days), my hand was up to the left side of my head. I pulled out a hair!!!! Horrors. So I'd say, "Ok, you managed to sneak one, but that's it. And I would pull no more. Over the years, I think the brain did re-wire as the urge just slipped away, bit by bit, until today, in very rare occasions, I get the urge, but no pulling. And when the urge comes, it is like a little child whimpering instead of a 4 year old tantruming. You can do it tooooooo.

Can the device send an electric shock? Because even when I become conscious of it I can’t stop... 😂

I just came to tell everyone you can do this♥️. I had Trich for 7 years and I’m currently 6 months free at the age of 20. I know how hard it’s trust me I had so many people not understanding what I went through even my family members and they made matters worse. Just try to keep your hands busy and don’t think about pulling your hair. I know u don’t realize it sometimes but u can trigger it to stop. Wear scarves, get those little fidget toys, do a hobby, or even play games♥️

40 year old male and have suffered since age 4/5. It was eyelashes until the 8th grade and then went to eyebrows. The lifelong ridicule and shame is unspeakable. I've suffered with anxiety , addiction and social phobia. God bless everyone with this disorder.

This made me cry… Having Tric sucks- I have suffered from it since I was 8 years old.. I am now in my late 30’s- I pull the hair on my head and bite my nails.. many things this amazing woman says is so incredibly true.. Having this issue puts in a dark box and makes you feel so horrible about yourself , it beats you down mentally for years and then when asked by strangers why are you pulling or why are you bald or why did you shave your hair or whatever … it makes you feel even worse.. makes you feel like there’s absolutely no way to over come this issue.. People that don’t suffer from this have always said to me “ Just stop” .. It’s not that easy, especially when you have no idea that your doing it.. When you pull you don’t feel pain - it’s more of a comfortable feeling or no feeling at all.. so it feels almost impossible to stop something that you have no idea when your doing it.. all you see is hair all over the place and bald/ thin spots on your head.. It takes a lot of courage to come out to your family/ friends/strangers to say I have a hair pulling disorder… it takes even more courage to say this to yourself… To all who suffer from this that aren’t ready to say it out loud- I am sorry you are suffering and your not alone .. You will find a way to get through It..

I started pulling when I was 10, now I am 19. Im gonna cry

I’ve been pulling my eyelashes and eyebrows out for 12 years now.. I’m 22. I thought I was alone until I found this. Thank you.

I’ve been struggling with this since I’m 8 years old, I’m 17 now and it’s been short periods of time when I felt it was going away but I just can’t stop, it always comes back. And it makes me so sad because I feel like I can’t get over it, it’s going to be there for the rest of my life. I don’t feel supported, my mom is aware of this problem but she gets mad at me whenever she sees me doing it or finds a bunch of hair on the floor

I can't believe I cried for 10:58 minutes straight 😭😭😭 I felt every single word in this video I felt all the sufferings that come out through your breath and voice ... Thank you so much for spreading awareness about this disorder people with tritchotillomania exist and they are really suffering in silence, affraid from the judgement of others .... So please if you know anyone with this disorder avoid asking them "why you're doing this" instead you can just help them if they are confortable about it... trust me even some words that show them that they are strong enough to deal with this disorder can make a change, cause you can't imagine how much they need to open to someone about their disorder without feeling ashamed.

honestly at this point, ive totally given up on healing. this is not a disease that can be cured, rather, it is an addiction, a characteristic, another part of me. i developed trich when i was in highschool, and i distinctly remember the horrifying shame and fear i felt when my mother looked me in the eye and told me that she had already noticed my eyebrows thinning, and me colouring it. i was devastated, and thats when i truly realised what was happening to me. all my life id dealt with nail and skin picking syndrome, now it all makes sense. ive dealt with this side of me for almost 6 years now. and im nowhere near done. ive been called possessed, given weird stares, parents forcing me to show my bald spots to them, then screaming at me for doing it again, for doing it for attention. when all that didnt work they decided to dismiss it as something that is nonexistent. they still dont believe it is actually a disorder. so of course therapy is out of the question. although i havent cured it, and sport two big bald spots on my head as we speak, i have noticed some ways you can relieve the urge, or stop the action of pulling. . for long hair, keep it tied. prederably in ways what would not be easy to remove. braids, tight buns etc. . find out the catalysts. they can be certain places in the house, or certain times of the day, even certain activities you do. then be extremely aware of what youre doing in those situations. if you feel the urge to pull, immediatesly, and i mean instantly without even giving it a thought, remove yourself from that situation, and do something else. for eg. i found out my catalysts are lying in bed whatching yt while no one's nearby, college stress, studies, fights with my family etc. everytime i feel the urge to pull, i just get up and talk to ppl. . love your hair. thats it. one of the most effective ways to prevent hair pulling, is by giving your hair love. devote time to maintaining your hair. comb it, stimulate it, oil it, shampoo it, get a hair mask, style it to the best of your ability, just treat it like youd treat your loved one. although it sounds crazy, trust me. imagine yourself having a head full of hair, and all the amaxing hairstyles youd wanna give yourself after your hair grows out. most of all, dont ever be ashamed of yourself for having trich. it is not your fault, and dont lose hope. even if you relapse, its okay! give yourself a break and love yourself.

i started pulling when i was 9 after my parents got a divorce which was really toxic and my father got into a relationship within two weeks after my parents separated. it’s crazy to believe that i’m not the only one that has it. i felt so alone for years and no one in my family understood it. they acted like i did it on purpose and when they would noticed it, it would make me even more shameful. i’m 18 now and i’ve learned to manage it to a certain extent but i know it will never go away. it always gets worse when i’m depressed or super anxious.

it’s crazy how i thought i was the only person with this issue, until my friend told me it could be a disorder then i looked it out and it really was. this started when i was a child (about 11/12). it’s so horrible and i feel so guilty but so many people don’t understand that it’s hard to stop. i don’t even notice, then i look it’s done.😪 it usually gets worse when i’m stressed or anxious. YOU ARE NOT ALONE! you can do it, God bless you!🙏🏾

I’m 19 and I have been dealing with pulling my hair for 6 years, since I was 13. For the past few months I have been seeing a psychiatrist who has helped with cognitive therapy. So far, I have gone a month without pulling and it’s the longest I’ve ever been. I know it can return at any moment but I’m working very hard to tell me that I love myself and this behavior is destructive to my body. I have a log where I mark every day I go without pulling and every 2 weeks I buy myself a BTS album (since I collect them and love them, honestly it has been a great motivator). I’m happy at the moment and my stress has been reduced significantly. I hope this year is the year I change my life and stop this behavior 🥺

I’ve been pulling since I was like 10. I stopped for about 4 months this year. I was feeling so happy with my hair regrowth. Idk what happened, but this month I lost it. I’m back where I started and feeling so ashamed. But tomorrow is a new day, and I’ll be starting over. To everyone else who is struggling, I’m sending you love and nothing but positive thoughts. 🤍

I was 10 when I started doing it, because of stress from test scores and grades. I only found out that it was a real condition. I wish it had more recognition.

Me who watching this video while plucking my hair

I am so glad to see this. My daughter has this and it is very very difficult. I wish I could help her and I do not know how. I hope that a parent out there knows that they're not alone. It is okay to be sad, helpless and scared.

I was 11 when it started, 6th grade, eyelashes first, then to scalp. I’m in 11th now, still pulling. My parents disregard it as nothing and doesn’t compare to “real mental health disorders.” This video made me cry if relief. I’m not alone

I have trichitillomania and I’m 13 (it started when I was 7). I love to pluck out the split ends and the coarse curly ones. I also pluck out my eyelashes, so now I have no more eyelashes. People keep thinking I have mental issues but I don’t. Im thankful for my parents for understanding my condition because not all parents understand why their kids love pulling out hair. This made me feel much better and less “weird” :))

I chopped off 6 inches of hair and started wearing my hair up in buns and ponytails. I haven’t pulled my hair in over a month! I believe in you all :) update: it’s been 10 months now. the urge never fully goes away but it gets weaker over time and I haven’t pulled my hair since then. my bald spot went away :)

I was valedictorian of my preschool class with no eyebrows. The bullying actually intensified in grade school. I’m 21 and still find myself doing it. I wish there was a cutoff age but I know there are older ones going through the same thing. We’re in this together‼️💯💯

I’m suffering the same thing and I just messaged a therapist and I’m crying so hard. I’ve never heard someone relate to me so much. Thank you

I've found for me it makes me feel like I have control over something in my life. My therapist and I have realized a lot of my anxiety and self esteem issues come from growing up an environment that I felt I had no control of. I had a mentally abusive stepdad and an alcoholic mother. My anxiety was sky high and I began plucking my eyebrows in high school. The therapist back then that I saw thought it was because I didn't think I was pretty but my self image wasn't the issue. I crave control in my life and hair pulling is the one thing that gives me a sense of it. I was able to grow back my eyebrows and enter remission for awhile but when my mom divorced my stepdad and her drinking got worse while I was in college, I redirected the urge to my facial hair, something I usually shaved anyways. I've been doing it for so long now that it doesn't even hurt to pull out hair and pulling thick hair is euphoric. Keeping busy during the day keeps me from doing it but when I start to get tired at night or read something, I begin plucking again. I hate what it does to my nails more than anything else but I'm sadly past the point of being embarrassed. Pre-covid, I would do it in public and just not care what people thought. As she said in the video, some people smoke or eat for relief, I pull my hair and in my stubbornly determined hair pulling state I convince myself that I have a healthier addiction than others. I know no addiction is healthy but I really feel like I'm drugged when I switch into my hair pulling state- it's like an itch, if I don't scratch it I'll eventually feel relief but if I just scratch it, the urge to itch will cease and I will be content again. I know that as we work on my issues with control, my hair pulling urges will start to fade but healing is not linear and right now, I am still actively pulling. I think one thing she failed to mention is recovery is a process, relapse is completely normal and being gentle and forgiving to yourself about the disorders you have is the best thing you can do. This isn't going to be easy but healing never is. However, healing is ALWAYS worth the struggle. So I promise to keep working on this. I hope anyone else reading this can find the strength to at least try to get help. Deciding you want help is the first step to recovery. Small progress is still progress and you should be proud of yourself! Try rewards if that helps too! Like "Once I schedule my 1st appointment with a therapist I will get my favorite food for dinner" and little things like that. Treat yourself like a child or best friend. You deserve the compassion and patience you give to others.

I have had Trichotillomania for 15 years (starting at 8 years old) - pulling my eyelashes and eyebrows - and through spirituality, I have been able to decrease my irritability of pulling. Mindfulness, will power and strength is EVERYTHING.

I have had this disorder ever since I was in middle school and I remember people bullying me for my subconscious pulling. I love all of you so much and I want you to know that you are not alone. This is such a struggle but we are in this together!!! It totally sucks and no one else will understand except us. Please know that you are worth it. I love you!

Omg she said everything I’ve been going through 💔💔 she made me cry a river😭😭😭😭 it’s so hard to tell people about it and hide it form them💔💔💔

Thank you so much for your work. I bought a Keen and it has significantly changed how I operate. I have trichotillomania and I pull my hair. I just started grad school and it's been the most stressful time of my life, but the Keen gives me power in the choice to control where my hands are. I have spent so many nights crying and surrounded by the hair I have pulled out, and this has been such a game changer. I have suffered with trich for a long time (about 20 years as well), but I feel like I'm finally starting to win a battle I've lost my entire life.

Starting since i was 12 and now i was 18,such a long time,every time i saw my hair on the floor, i felt so sad

I’ve been suffering from trichotillomania since 5 years . But you know what’s worse than the disorder itself ? Having no one by your side having no one to support you having no one who makes you feel better about yourself . Ever since I got trich , I’ve been fighting all alone none by my side because they all think that I’m going insane and that it’s not a “thing “ . The only question that I keep in getting is “why don’t you just stop” and I fail to explain how serious this disorder is . IT IS A DISORDER NOT A DECISION . To all those who are suffering from trichotillomania , you aren’t alone and we got this! We will be able to survive this battle . FIGHT THIS BATTLE ALONE! The only person who’ll drag you out of this situation is none but yourself . Help yourself by yourself we don’t need anyone ❤️❤️❤️

As someone who has struggled with hair pulling since I was 5 and am now 23 I relate with this on so many levels. I constantly go through cycles of pulling and feel immense guilt during and after each episode but I still cannot seem to stop. Hopefully I will one day be able to by becoming more aware and spreading awareness

Ive had trichotillamania since i was 5 started with my eyelashes now its mainly my head and Im almost 29. I go through rough patches where I pull more that others. My fave is sliding down my nails down my hair when its damaged and my hair creates ladders. So weird but I know my hairs in a short thin bob now :( it was growing so nice and thick for the first time in my life. Forever trying to leave my hair alone but I can’t because i enjoy it.

Watching this while pulling my hair, cant stop, am I weird

I was either 10 or 11 when my tricho kicked in on all cylinders and i had no eyebrows or eyelashes for a good two years. I finally managed to stop pulling those out, just to start with other hair on my body. I'm 63 now and i still have issues with it. In social situations in public (like church), i try to keep both hands busy with my Bible and a notepad to take notes with, but it doesn't stop the battle raging inside that wants to just pull and pluck...and social anxiety (GAD in my case) has little to nothing to do with it. I have just as difficult a time with it when i'm totally chilling at home, just me and my dog. So i'm SOOOO glad to find out that one in twenty Americans are just like me! I thought i was a freak for the longest time. Thank you SO much for addressing this issue that truly no one WANTS to talk about, even though it NEEDS to be addressed...thank you for making me feel less like a freak, knowing there are many others suffering with this. To add insult to injury (literally!) also have dermatillomania. UGH! It sucks so incredibly badly. 😔 And i'm not picky (pun kinda-sorta intended, yet not?) about where i pick. Anyway, thank you so VERY much for this video, my slanted view about myself is starting to level out a tiny bit.

I'm so proud of you Aneela! Your speech brought tears to my eyes and I thank you for your courage to go up there and show your -and our all- vulnerability. Thank you also for your great work, I love my Keen 💕😊 Sending you love and a huuuge hug from Switzerland!

I thought it was only me who went through this , only differences mine was very mild and I have stopped this for 5 years , this got me so emotional 😭❤️respect respect ✊🏾

As someone who started hair pulling at 11 and is now 24 finally ready to stop this… this video was so healing and validating ❤️

1 minute, 30 seconds in. Already emotional. It’s crazy how isolating trich is. This made me feel… not alone… and hopeful Thank you this speaker for being so brave to share their experience .

My 11 year old son just started eyelash plucking. I’m crying because I have hope that he can get the help he needs. Thank you so much for your vulnerability, courage, and dedication to finding a solution. 🙏🏼 ❤

I’ believe it was a soothing act of love for myself at age 12. I was abused , neglected and “invisible “. I would feel trapped in class due to the anxiety of struggling to focus and with my shame of not having the tools I needed( although it wasn’t conscious to me then ). The plucking gave me dopamine and kind of like a meditative state. I’m in my 50s and have micro scarring and fix my hair to cover it. It’s a life s goal to retrain my brain and hands. In the meantime I’ve learned to fully love myself. I read a book “Healing the Child Within” and it was so powerful. I am NOW that loving parent to my child heart. I’m gentle on myself. Footnote: I had a baby at 16, and 5 more later. I was able to somehow earn my GED, and then on to my Bachelor s in social work. My life s work is to encourage others in seeing their inherent value as a child of God. Peace. You’re so worth it. 👑💎💪🏽🎁☀️💯🕊🙏🏽

I’m suffering and I really hate that it takes over my life!!! I pray that it goes away.

I m proud of her...😇..i m suffering too from.this disorder...i wish one day I'll stop doing this....and one day same like her I'll reveal my secret infront of this whole world like her

To all the people who want to leave this bad habit and I think all of us want to , I'm thinking of making a group to keep encouraging each other and at the end of each day we have to say that we didn't play with our hair this day , what do you think?? WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER ❤

Thank you for what you do. I'm so frustrated with 25 yrs of this and here recently my hair pulling is worse than ever and I'm scrambling to try to hide the bald patches and it is exhausting. This needs a cure!!

I had this disease also since one year. I’m so tired 😢 💔 Please pray for me

Thank you so much for sharing your story and letting me know I’m not alone. I’m 35 and have been doing this since I was a kid. Never realized it was a “problem” until a year ago. I’m just now able to put a name to this problem because of ppl like you. Thank you for your boldness and transparency

Had it since I was 9 years old, my family’s chaos and a divorce and violence and school and so many other triggering events that spiked my anxiety- man, I still pull if I dont pay heavy attention to my hands. I have ups and downs but im blessed to have the support and awareness of the community.

One of the things that helped me realize I wasn't the only one who did this was a fantasy book series called "Keeper of the Lost Cities". The main character pulls out her eyelashes. While it never says she has trich, she still pulls out hair. As a tween, that really helped. The main character of a fantasy series, a strong girl around my age, did the same thing I did. Still now, years later, the same character still helps me with this. For anyone who likes YA fanatsy romance, I highly recommend it.

This is amazing ❤️ the strength this woman has to be able to get up on that stage and tell the tale that plagues us sufferers. Thank you ❤️

I’ve struggled with this for years. It’s truly difficult and seems impossible to overcome. Thank you for being so open

I am so proud of her !!! I cried myself , as a grown man. Relating to her pain. This was powerful !!!! Thank you for speaking up for us

This has been so extremely helpful. I have been struggling with this for 15 years, I am 28 now and it has only gotten worse. It absolutely destroyed my self confidence and makes me isolate. I am a very very long way from getting it under control, but this was very helpful. Thank you!

I absolutely NEEDED to watch this video today. I have been struggling with hair pulling (primarily my eyelashes) for the past 15 years and for so long I truly thought I was alone in all of this. It wasn't until this week when I did a Google search that I discovered the name of this condition, and I've been spending so much time researching on trich and connecting with so many others who are dealing with the same thing. Everything Aneela felt in this video, I could absolutely relate to it.

Made me cry. Wow, to be so open and vulnerable on stage. Incredible speaker!

I started pulling my eyelashes and eyebrows around 7th grade. It got bad really fast and was that way for a while. People always asked about it and I was always so ashamed when confronted. I’m a sophomore in college now and I’m proud to say I don’t pull my eyelashes but I still struggle a bit with my eyebrows. I’m hoping within 2 years I’ll be fully over Trichotillomania :)

Anyone still struggling, WE GOT THIS

Thank you for being brave and fearless and sharing your story and for creating Keen. I have purchased a Keen for my six year old daughter.

The fact that a ted talk exists on this subject shows how far the awareness for trich has grown. Pulling has been a problem for me off & on since I was 12 years old (over 15 years now) Feeling isolated started it, left home alone during the school holidays while my mum was at work. For the longest time I thought I was a freak, and the only one plagued by this intense urge to reach for my hair anytime I felt anxious, alone, or bored. I'm grateful there's more support, resources, and conversation happening about it now. I'm working towards being pull free, and finding more healthy ways to soothe myself. Thank you for doing this talk.

I can rarely watch ted talks becuz of my poor attention span but i watched this all the way to the end and i’m sobbing so bad right now. I’ve been suffering from this for about 6 years now and it’s caused me so much harm. This video and the comments in it make me feel so seen and heard. Thank you.

Great job, Aneela! Thank you for developing such an amazing product. I'm so glad to have my HabitAware bracelet. Thank you for your Ted Talk - I claim my position of the 1 in 20 people who pull hair. Now a little bit less because of you. Thank you.

Thank you for the speech!! It takes a lot to come out!! :( 💖💖💖

My heartbreaks for you as I too feel your suffering. Thank you so much for sharing and being a voice for me and so many. ❤️

I was watching this talk as I watch any other TED talk, and on the minute 6:20 I suddenly burst into tears, I couldn't stop crying for 5-10 minutes. someone really felt my pain and walked the extra mile to find a solution. I ordered this tool on the same day I watched this talk, will receive it soon hopefully..

Thank you so much for your bravery speaking on something that is obviously very painful. I've found myself here because my teenage daughter struggles with this and I have felt so powerless seeing how much she panics when she's getting ready for school each morning trying to hide the gaps left in her beautiful lashes and eyebrows. I have no idea how we got here and feel like I have failed her somehow. But now I'm trying to understand and hope we can try to get through this together 🙏🙏

Started in school days, been unable to stop and currently 30. Crying while watching this

Im so happy i found this video, finally i dont have to feel alone and ashamed, my family would always make fun of me and laugh at me, and looking in the mirror would always be something so hard to do. But this person brought comfort in me and now i feel like I understand my condition a bit better, thank you!

I've struggled for almost 45 years!!

This opened my eyes so much....

I’ve never heard something more pure in my life.... you’ve said what I’ve thought.... most things we say or don’t we are still scared....

I've been doing this since I was 6 and now I'm 26. I was hoping at the age I am I would have stopped. I been knew something was wrong with me, I even took myself to counseling in 3rd grade, but I am glad to see I am not alone

Thank you so much for sharing your story Aneela, I thought i was all alone dealing with this for a very very long since was about 10 years old I' am 47, just founding out there is others like and there is help and hope, working with my psychologist and psychiatrist it was very difficult to talk about but so I tired it, I want have control of it and have a life, I want the confidence you spoke on,

I have suffered with Trich for the past 11 years. I started in 4th or 5th grade and was able to stop when I was in 9th grade. Then, I was in an abusive relationship and I started back again in 2010. What's been helping me with my hair pulling is noticing where I like to pull the most. I like the couch and most recently the bed (if I'm tired). I try to get up and do something else or, if I feel like I might have a pulling fit due to my physical/emotional state, I'll put on a headband and put my hair in a bun. I still reach up, but it prevents me from pulling from my favored spots. I also like to use a therapy technique called grounding. I have a 'soothing station'. It includes art (sight), my favorite snack (taste), a soft stuffed animal (touch), a perfume/scented lotion (smell), and then there's a fan close by that I can turn on (sound). By using using one, all, and/or a combinations of these I've been able to go a few days without bad pulling fits. Hope this helps! ♥

All of your personal experiences hit home so hard. Everything I wanted to try to do, things I wanted to attend. Shutting my self away instead because of no lashes and bald spots. Lying in school about what happened to that one spot on my scalp. The only thing that has ever helped is knowing that there are so many wonderful, beautiful, people out there that are in the same boat as me, right there knowing exactly how I feel. Thank you for bringing this out into the world for us. This video made me cry for you, but thank you for being strong for us!!

I have pulling out my eyebrows and eyelashes from the age of 5 . parents are not understanding me at all . I feel so depressed it feels like having stress in a young age. Thank you for keen Keen Aneela.😊❤ YOU HAVE HELPED ME A LOT🎉❤🎉❤😂

Been suffering since I was 12. Became aware that it was a disorder when I was 19. Now I'm 30 and still pull my hair once in a while, especially when stressed. There's not much stats in Kenya so I've been keeping this secret for that long. My family couldn't understand it. I had to learn how to braid my 4c hair on my own to avoid being asked why I had bald patches. It's a struggle,though I've found solace in writing. Thanks for this