Expert: John Date: 7/28/2004 Subject: eating hair.
Question respected doctor, im 20 years old female named anu from india .sir, my problem is that i hav a habit of plucking my hair and eating them.my family is very much worried about me
i hav eaten majority of my hair that i had .
i dont know when and why i do this.once i start i cannot control myself.v consulted a pshycologist here in my home town and he said that it was due to anxiety.but i dont think i hav any sort of anxiety.this problem is very badly affecting my studies.i cannot concentrate in my studies.now im totally depressed .plz help me out of this problem sir.plzzzz im waiting for ur reply.plzzzzz give me some advice and plzzzz do tell me wat may be the root reason for this.
Answer Some people pull their hair out it is called tricholomania. Eating the hair is somewhat akin to this. You may have anxiety that you are not recognizing. I would think you need to see a psychiatrist and get started on some anti-anxiety meds like XANAX or VALIUM or other anxiety med. It is obviously a nervous habit and when you feel tense you are trying to relieve that tenseness by pulling out your hair. It is a tension relieving device that seems to work for you however destructive it is for you personally. In the short run you may need to have your hair cut short and wear a shawl. Until you get your tenseness or anxiety under control. There may be something in your life that causes you to feel this enormous tenseness , that could be school, a job, or a relationship in your life or family relationships. If you are also depressed you need to get on an antidepressant. Anxiety and depression often accompany each other. Your doctor is in the best position to recommend an antidepressant. Wellbutrin SR, Zoloft, Anafranil, Prozac, Paxil, Celexa and many others.
