American comedian and actress Amy Schumer recently opened up about her medical condition trichotillomania. The 40-year-old actress shared her experience with trichotillomania, also known as hair pulling disorder, in a recent interview. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Schumer said that it is her big secret which she is now revealing to the world.
Schumer told the entertainment publication last week that she once plucked out so much of her own hair that she found herself in need of a wig before returning to school.
Trichotillomania is often a result of some stressful event or an anxiety disorder. Schumer’s 2016 essay collection, The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo, mentions that her father declared bankruptcy and had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and her mother left him for the married father of her best friend all before Schumer was 13. The actress told The Hollywood Reporter that it was during that time that the disorder first presented itself.
Trichotillomania aka TTM is a mental disorder in which people feel an overwhelming need to pull out their own hair. According to Healthline, Trichotillomania usually develops during the adolescent years, but it has been known to appear in young children as well. The condition can continue for several years through to adulthood. People who experience trichotillomania in childhood will focus on pulling out the hair on their scalp, or from other areas like the eyebrows, eyelashes, or any other area on their body that has hair. Over time, TTM can lead to bald spots and thinning hair.
According to Healthline, Trichotillomania could sometimes be related to other conditions such as: obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety, depression, autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Schumer confessed that she still struggles with this condition and it is also something that she fears her nearly three-year-old son could one day struggle with. “Every time he touches his head I’m having a heart attack,” Schumer said. The stand-up comedian’s fears are rooted in the fact that there is a genetic component to trichotillomania.
