Pulling out hair and eating it.

[Olive]

How did you go?

[sahbear]

How did you go? I noticed a little girl doing this today, and thought of this.
Hope you got some answers.

[PumpkinZulu]

We've been referred to a child psychologist for assessment, the appointment is next Tuesday so I'll definitely let you guys know how that goes. GP suspected Trichotillomania too.

[sahbear]

It's great you have an appointment quickly!

[PumpkinZulu]

We we're put into a service called Kids In Mind, I hadn't heard of it before but I'm very grateful for it.

[myturn]

Good luck!!

[PumpkinZulu]

Update. So the session went well. We have a long way to go though. It was basically just getting to know each other and all of that. The hair pulling is getting quite bad now, as is her anxiety. I'm starting to feel really lost and scared for her. I don't want her to have to deal with any of this. I just want her to be a happy, secure little girl. She's so beautiful.

[PumpkinZulu]

ImageUploadedByBellyBelly.com.au1398420219.432069.jpg

all the front is short like a really bad fringe, because it's all been pulled out, and her hairline just keeps going further and further back.

[~clover~]

Try not to worry. Have you tried keeping it short for a while? So she can't get hold of it?

My friends dd is now 10 & we're only just starting to see her with a full head of hair. Last I saw her a lot of the front was still awkward regrowth, but she's getting there.
They had her hair braided 18 months ago. Its cost $250, but it was the start of breaking the habit. Maybe something to keep in mind when she's older.

Good on you getting her help. It is a long road, but you will get there x

[sahbear]

Yay for the first session going well. Here's hoping this leads her go be the happy little girl you want her to be. Any ideas on what triggers her?

[Astrolady]

We had a child where I work doing this. He is just over 2. He is a boy though so they shaved his hair in the hope he'll forget by the time it grows back. If I see them this coming term I will have to question them more about it and see if it was a phase or something else. If he is doing it again I might mention to them about going to the GP too and getting Trichotillomania looked at.

[Jennifer13]

Glad the session was helpful. It sounds like it's anxiety. A couple of my friends have DDs with quite bad anxiety. They both went to a specialist clinic in Sydney that deals with preschoolers who have anxiety. Both found that with the extra help (particularly for them as parents) their girls were much, much better by school age. One of them virtually has no ongoing anxiety at all and waved Mum off without a tear starting school. If you saw where she was a couple of years previously you wouldn't have believed it was possible.

Not sure if that helps, but they both told me help early on seems to be most successful. Hugs.

[black_rose]

Anxiety can do horrible things to children, dd had a lot of trouble with her toileting and coping with change the time before school was hard. Finding the triggers is difficult when they are so little glad you are getting help. hope you can work out what's going on in her mind that is worrying her.

[lilima]

You are on the right path to a positive outcome.

[Artechim]

I don't know if you remember but my DS had really bad anxiety in the lead up to starting school and was licking his hands constantly, raw in some places. He was such a ball of stress and between the licking and the tantrums it was not a very good time for anyone.

Anyways, it is now nearly two years later and you wouldn't guess that he had anxiety problems. We just moved half a country away and he has been just fine with it all. I can see a bit of anxiety seeping in around the edges as the cause some of his deliberate misbehaving etc, and today he asked for some antibacterial hand gel which he hasn't wanted for a long time but compared to what we have had in the past it is nothing.

I just wanted you to know that just because she is going through this now doesn't mean it will always be this way

[PumpkinZulu]

I don't know if you remember but my DS had really bad anxiety in the lead up to starting school and was licking his hands constantly, raw in some places. He was such a ball of stress and between the licking and the tantrums it was not a very good time for anyone.

Anyways, it is now nearly two years later and you wouldn't guess that he had anxiety problems. We just moved half a country away and he has been just fine with it all. I can see a bit of anxiety seeping in around the edges as the cause some of his deliberate misbehaving etc, and today he asked for some antibacterial hand gel which he hasn't wanted for a long time but compared to what we have had in the past it is nothing.

I just wanted you to know that just because she is going through this now doesn't mean it will always be this way

This made my day (and it's only 7.30am!), thank you. To know that there's light at the end of all of this is all I want right now

We ended up shaving her head. Very difficult decision, but I think it was the right one. I'd rather her have no hair for a short time, than become before sick or worse from a blockage in her intestines. DH shaved his head in solidarity with her, which was gorgeous.

[sahbear]

How awesome of your DH to do it with her!
How has she been since you did it?

[Joeve]

Love that your DH did that! Gorgeous.
I hope this is the start of something great for your DD. xx