Amy Schumer Isn’t the 1st Celebrity to Open Up About Trichotillomania
Amy Schumer is an incredibly talented stand-up comedian and actor. But behind the jokes and smiles, the 40-year-old has quietly struggled with trichotillomania.
Schumer’s recent confession undoubtedly caught many by surprise, but she’s not the first celebrity to experience this disorder.
Amy Schumer highlights trichotillomania on her Hulu series ‘Life & Beth‘
Despite the laughs, Schumer recently revealed how she struggled with trichotillomania, highlighting it on her new Hulu show Life & Beth. According to the Hollywood Reporter, she flashed back to her teenage years and detailed what may have triggered the condition and how she had to wear a wig to cover her patched head.
Schumer chose to be open and remove the guilt and shame she’s carried all her life. The mother of one also highlighted some instances that may have contributed to her hair-pulling disorder. While growing up, her father declared bankruptcy, her parents separated and her father lost a leg after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
Schumer also admits that she fears she might pass the disorder to her 2-year-old son Gene Fischer. Whenever she sees her son touch his head, her heart skips a beat.
Other celebrities who have experienced trichotillomania
Several celebrities have confessed to having this hair-pulling disorder, including:
Olivia Munn
According to USA Today, Olivia Munn admitted to constantly pulling her eyelashes and using false ones to cover up her disorder. The Newsroom star has also had to wear colored wigs that complement her dress, but the true intention was to cover the patches on her head.
Megan Fox
As TrichStop reports, Megan Fox has struggled with obsessive-compulsive disorder, which influences her behavior similarly to trichotillomania.
Katy Perry
Known for her melodious voice and great fashion style, Katy Perry is also rumored to experience trichotillomania, according to Health Research Funding. She last spoke about it in 2010, but she’s been more tight-lipped in recent years.
What is trichotillomania?
According to Women’s Health, trichotillomania causes a person to pull hair from their scalp, brows, or other body parts. The pulling causes them to have patchy bald spots, which are sometimes painful.
Some people who experience this disorder wear wigs and other concealing garments. To the outside world, it often seems like a fashion statement. In reality, it can be a coping mechanism.
The most common signs and symptoms of trichotillomania include continuous and repeated pulling of hair from the eyebrows, scalp, and other areas. This results in hair loss in the affected areas, which can impact a person’s self-esteem.
Most of the time, the affected person unsuccessfully tries to stop hair-pulling and often feels some sense of relief or pleasure afterward. They also chew and bite the pulled hair, experience tension before hair pulling, and sometimes have a preference for hair pulling rituals.
Experts recommend three main ways to determine if you have this disorder. First, examine the quantity of hair loss. Second, eliminate other possible causes of hair loss. And third, identify physical and mental problems associated with hair loss.
