get healthing in your inbox with the morning checkup and weekender newsletter!

mental health

amy schumer revealed her trichotillomania to 'alleviate her shame'

the comedian and actress says she wrote her hair-pulling disorder into her new show, life and beth, to alleviate her own shame and also help others.

by maija kappler

published apr 21, 2022

4 minute read

join the conversation

4 minute read

join the conversation

amy schumer shared her trichotillomania to 'alleviate her shame'

us actress and comedian amy schumer speaks onstage during the 94th oscars. (photo by robyn beck / afp) (photo by robyn beck/afp via getty images)

amy schumer has long been open about her medical issues, speaking candidly about removing her uterus and appendix to relieve her endometriosis symptoms. and lately, the comedian and actress opened up more about a mental health condition she’s had since childhood: trichotillomania.

trichotillomania is a type of self-harm

trichotillomania is a kind of self-harm that involves the repeated, compulsive urge to pull hair from the scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes, or other body parts. people with the condition want to stop, according to the mayo clinic, but often feel tension or discomfort when they try to stop, and a sense of relief once they do it. but the relief tends to be short-lived, and is often followed by shame.

“some people pull to relax themselves,” houston-based psychologist dr. suzanne mouton-odum, who specializes in treating trichotillomania, told the american psychological association (apa). “some do it when they are bored. some pull when they are tired and want to energize themselves. across the board, they all say it feels good. it seems to have a soothing or calming effect.”

the behaviour often starts around age 12, according to the apa, and is most common in teens and young adults. about 75 per cent of people who have it are girls and women. it’s also more common in people with anxiety disorders or obsessive-compulsive disorder.

secrecy is a big part of trichotillomania: most people with the condition will only pull out hair in private, and feel a lot of distress about their hair loss.

that was the case for schumer, she said. she first opened up about having trichotillomania by writing it into her new show “life and beth.” schumer plays the show’s protagonist in a semi-autobiographical role; her character also has the illness.

“i really don’t want to have a big secret anymore,” she told the hollywood reporter in march. “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 in an interview with howard stern earlier this month, the comedian and actress spoke further more about her experience with trichotillomania.

“when i was 13 i pulled out so much hair that i needed to get a wig, and wear a wig to school. it was humiliating,” schumer told stern. the experience left her feeling like she was “deformed,” she said, “feeling ugly and unloveable, and having big bald spots.”

while outwardly she seemed confident as a teen and pre-teen, she said, she carried a lot of shame around her hair-pulling. she would sometimes even eat lunch in the school nurse’s office, she told stern, “because i heard someone say that i made them sick.”

two types of trichotillomania

there are two kinds of trichotillomania. people with the focused form of the condition pull out their hair deliberately, and sometimes build elaborate rituals around it. but if the urge to ‘pull’ is automatic, they’ll do it without even thinking about it.

schumer’s condition seems to be automatic, based on what she told stern: “i would not even realize i did it, and i would look down and there would be a pile of hair.”

the illness isn’t in her past, she said: it’s still a part of her everyday life.

“i still pull my hair. i still do it,” she said. “if i didn’t have these [hair] extensions… i couldn’t be on camera. i have probably half the amount of hair i should have.”

at the end of the episode of “life and beth” that features trichotillomania, there’s a frame advising people to visit the tlc foundation for body-focused repetitive behaviors for further resources. in addition to hair-pulling, the foundation helps people with skin-picking disorders, destructive nail and cheek biting, and other behaviours. body-focused repetitive behaviours, the site explains, are often inherited, and are more common in certain situations involving specific combinations of age, temperament, environment, and family stress.

the tlc foundation has praised “life and beth” for its “accurate and respectful portrayal of a person experiencing trichotillomania,” the hollywood reporter pointed out. “our community is breathing a collective sigh of relief after having our behaviors mischaracterized and misinterpreted for so many years,” said the foundation’s executive director.

two to four per cent of canadians — that’s one to two million people — live with some form of a body-focused repetitive behaviour, according to huffpost canada, but there are likely many who have not been diagnosed.

readers who want to learn more about trichotillomania and other body-focused repetitive behaviours can find information from anxiety canada and the tlc foundation.

maija kappler is a reporter and editor at healthing. you can reach her at mkappler@postmedia.com

don’t miss a thing: sign-up for healthing’s newsletter

thank you for your support. if you liked this story, please send it to a friend. every share counts.

amy schumer revealed her trichotillomania to 'alleviate her shame'

the comedian and actress says she wrote her hair-pulling disorder into her new show, life and beth, to alleviate her own shame and also help others.

trichotillomania is a type of self-harm

race, economic status affect depression treatment outcomes

what to know about alopecia, the disorder behind the oscars' most dramatic moment

two types of trichotillomania

advertisement

amy schumer revealed her trichotillomania to 'alleviate her shame'

the comedian and actress says she wrote her hair-pulling disorder into her new show, life and beth, to alleviate her own shame and also help others.

trichotillomania is a type of self-harm

related stories

race, economic status affect depression treatment outcomes

what to know about alopecia, the disorder behind the oscars' most dramatic moment

got a sense of impending doom? can't breathe? it could be a panic attack

advertisement

advertisement

two types of trichotillomania

advertisement

share story