Deep breath: I was so ashamed. It started when I was 12. I could never, ever tell anyone or they would stop loving me. Everybody would think I was crazy and disgusting if they knew that I couldn’t stop pulling my hair out. I’ve been done with the shame for years, and in a better recovery than I would ever have believed possible for 2+ years now. Why am I telling you this? Because you know someone else who is still terrified and ashamed. More than 2 out of 50 people have this disorder. The crippling shame probably doesn’t make sense to you if you don’t pull or pick. Trust me, it’s part of the disease.

Today and all week, TLC Foundation for BFRBs is holding online chats where people who pull their hair and pick their skin can find acceptance and information. Please share this post, and please comment or PM me if you want to talk – about your own pulling/picking, a loved one’s, my own experience.

I’m paying a debt by posting this. For years, I thought I was the only abnormal one who did this horrible thing. One day the person next to me on the subway was reading the newspaper. I was reading over their shoulder and almost grabbed the paper away when I saw a calendar announcement about a conference for hair pullers. They got off at the next stop and left the paper behind. That’s how I learned I was #notalone. I would like to give that moment to as many people as possible. Thanks for passing along.