Comedian and actress, Amy Schumer, 41, has revealed that she has struggled for years with trichotillomania, which is a disorder that causes a compulsive need to pull out hair.
According to the Mayo Clinic, when people have a condition called trichotillomania, they have an irresistible urge to pull out hair — often from their head but sometimes also from their eyelashes, eyebrows, or other areas of the body.
Speaking to The New Yorker, the US actress, who reportedly has a bald spot on the top of her head, opened up about her experience of trich, as the condition is commonly referred to.
Addressing her hair loss, Amy said, “A yarmulke would cover it,” suggesting the brimless traditional cap worn by male Jews.
The actress has supposedly been dealing with the condition since she was in grade school, and once had to wear a wig to cover up her hair loss, Amy told The Hollywood Reporter.
According to an earlier report in March, People informs that this is a part of Amy’ life that she's opening up about after including it in her semi-autobiographical new show Life & Beth which draws inspiration from her own life’s events.
She recently told Vanity Fair, “I think everybody has a big secret and that’s mine.
“And I’m proud that my big secret only hurts me but it’s been what I’ve carried so much shame about for so long.”
MedlinePlus informs that trichotillomania may affect as much as 4 per cent of the population, and women are four times more likely than men to develop this mental health condition.
According to the TLC Foundation for Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors, the condition belongs to a group of disorders known as body-focused repetitive behaviors, which can involve damaging the body - by pulling, picking, scraping, or biting the hair, skin, or nails, Everyday Health said.
People with trich, grapple with feelings of shame and low self-esteem – it is supposed to be common. However, this often prompts its sufferers to keep their condition to themselves – and it’s no different with the Trainwreck star, The Independent states.
“The vulnerability of people knowing I pull my hair out it feels very raw to me. . . . It’s, you know, bald spots.” she said.
She adds, “It’s, like, that’s what a monster and a goblin have.”
In an earlier report that featured in Prevention (in March this year) Amy is reported to have said, she is relieved to be out of hiding. “I really don’t want to have a big secret anymore,” she said.
“And I thought putting it in there would be good for me to alleviate some of my shame and maybe, hopefully, help others alleviate some of theirs, too.”
“And it’s not that I used to have this problem and now I don’t,” she explained. “It’s still something that I struggle with,” she admitted.
Though health professionals are still not clear on what causes trich, the potential triggers are believed to be a chemical imbalance in the brain, similar to obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), changes in hormone levels during puberty, and a response to stress or anxiety.
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