Trichotillomania Support in East Sussex

People who pull find help from all kinds of practitioners: therapists, counsellors, psychologists, psychotherapists, hypnotherapists, EFT practitioners and coaches. Different people find different things helpful. Feeling understood matters more than any label.

You can also check a clinician’s registration. Titles such as “clinical psychologist” and “counselling psychologist” are protected by law in the UK. The Health and Care Professions Council keeps a free register lookup ↗ for them. Many counsellors, psychotherapists and hypnotherapists belong to registers approved by the Professional Standards Authority, which runs its own practitioner check ↗. Other good kinds of help aren’t regulated at all and belong to their own associations instead.

There’s more in our guide to how to talk to someone who can help.

East Sussex has no charity just for hair pulling or other body-focused repetitive behaviours (BFRBs). The UK’s BFRB charity runs its groups online, and Mind in Brighton and Hove works across Sussex. These are the organisations most useful to people in East Sussex who pull.

We haven’t found an in-person trichotillomania group in East Sussex yet. Most people here who pull connect with others online, and for something this private, many find that easier.

• BFRB UK & Ireland adults group: a free peer-led group on Zoom, once a month, for anyone 18 or over who pulls or picks.
• BFRB UK & Ireland under-18s group: a monthly Zoom group for children and teens aged 7 to 18.
• BFRB UK & Ireland parents and loved ones group: a monthly Zoom group for anyone supporting someone who pulls.

For parents: our guide The Parent’s Guide to Trichotillomania helps you understand what your child is going through.

Do you run an East Sussex group? Tell us and we’ll list it for free.

For many people, hiding hair pulling takes more energy than the pulling itself.

It often starts small. A fringe grown long to cover a gap. A cap worn indoors. Brow pencil, false lashes, a scarf, a certain way of sitting so the thin patch faces the wall. Over time the hiding becomes a daily routine, planned around light, wind and mirrors.

Then come the things people quietly avoid. A haircut, because the hairdresser will see. Swimming, because wet hair shows the scalp. Sleepovers, holidays, a partner’s hand in their hair. Some people put off the doctor or the dentist for the same reason.

Concealment protects people in the moment, but it has a cost. Every close call feeds the fear of being found out. And the more carefully something is hidden, the more it can feel shameful, even when it isn’t.

It also keeps people apart. Most people who pull have never knowingly met another person who does, even though about 1 in 50 people have trichotillomania. Two people in the same office, school or street can be hiding the same thing from each other.

Trichotillomania is not a bad habit, not attention-seeking, not self-harm and not a lack of willpower. It’s a recognised condition, and the secrecy around it is part of how it works, not a sign of personal failure.