my little sister

[cscott2]

mum came down the stairs earlier today with a HUGEEE handfull of hair - my little sister is pulling her hair out. she is only 11 years old. she has something called trichotillomania. its her way of releasing her anxiety she builds up at school. the thing is,shes not being nice about it - shes hiding it in MY bedroom drawers,behind her bed,under the rug in the living and even on the window sill outside the bathroom. yesterday was an awful day for her - her doctor cancelled on her which pissed me off so much and it must have really affected her as she pulled out so much hair yesterday. it hurts so much watching her do this to herself. shes getting balder and balder by the day - its not right for an 11 year old. she came home yesterday in tears as everytime she tried to approach the girls at school they ran away from her and this broke my heart because,bless her,shes trying soo soo hard. things just arent getting any better - but as people say - things get worse before they get better. i just have images of her going off to high school in august bald. and it kills me because im leaving this year,shes not going to have anyone to stick up for her if shes bullied etc. she is getting all the help she can get but nothing seems to be helping

im new to this site. any help or advice would be hugely appreciated. need to know things like do we talk to her about this and do we tell her to stop doing it [?]

p.s. sorry its a bit long

[sal]

Hi hun

This must be so hard for you seeing your little sister like this and not been able to take away all her pain.

She needs help and it doesnt help that the doc cancelled the appointment. You just carry on loving her and supporting her but she needs more help than you can ever give her.

I know how hard it is seeing someone you love go through pain that you just cant take away, but as her big sis you can support her, encourage here and be with her every step of the way.

She is so lucky to have you and i bet she knows that.

Love Sal xx


Dont mess up the best things in your life, just because at present you are unsure who you are.


"Life is a distance and to travel that distance you were given the strength and guidance to do so".

[cscott2]

Thank You. I know and i'm here for her 100% but its soo hard to keep your cool sometimes as i dont know how she feels or whats shes going through. sometimes i just want to shout at her for leaving her hair lying about anywhere,as if she doesnt care - but i dont coz i know that would probably trigger her anxiety. its very frustrating [Sigh...]

[sal]

I know it must be for you and when you want to help her i can imagine you want to shout. But that is normal reaction from anyone.

Love Sal xx


Dont mess up the best things in your life, just because at present you are unsure who you are.


"Life is a distance and to travel that distance you were given the strength and guidance to do so".

[nachx3]

Hi
A friend at work has a daoughter who pulls out her hair in times of stress - started when she was 11 (now 17)
She has been sent to various specialists etc. and although she still does it, its not as bad.
Lots of love & support are needed and a visit to the doctor.

Take care

[Insomniac]

Hi there. Your sister is so lucky to have you caring so much for her. Its so hard to see someone you love in pain and not be able to help. Being there is worth a lot though, believe me.

She really does need professional help. The fact that she's talking about school is something. At least she can still talk to you about the difficulty she's having. Leaving her hair lying around probably is a cry for help, not being thoughtless about other people. She's so lucky to have you all. Pity her doctor had to cancel when she really needs the appointment. Emotional problems are so much harder than physical (on the person concerned and their family) because its difficult sometimes to find the cause and to treat. But try to hang in there.

Glad you found this site though. Its full of advice and support.


Lisa.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.