So you really think you are NORMAL?

by Filzah Sobri DMC10

Part III

Hello Malaysia! Aloha for people in Hawaii and Bonjour for the French!  I am definitely back.  Honestly, I am looking forward for this third, and sadly the very last column.  Hope readers out there are ready for another quirk that may sound a bit normal and common, but still is – weird.

So guys, some recap.  We did lay hands on fear of touching the ground and prosopagnosia, which is face blindness.  As for today, I am going to share bits on habit of pulling hairs.  You guys must be thinking the kind of pulling hairs which caused by stress, or pulling the baby hairs out that makes your head itchy.   People, here is a new word for you – trichotillomania. Try ‘trik-oh-till-oh-may-nee-ah’.  It is hard to pronounce, I know.  It took me some time as well to let my brain spell out the word.  It is also known as trichotillosis, or more commonly as trich. The term actually describes an act of  hair loss from a patient's repetitive self-pulling of hair and is characterized by the repeated urge to pull out scalp hair, eyelashes, facial hair, nose hair, pubic hair, eyebrows or other body hair, sometimes resulting in noticeable bald patches.  Scary, huh? 

David H. Barlow, PhD, an anxiety expert at Boston University stated that trichotillomania has a high overlap with post traumatic stress disorder, and some cases of trich may be triggered by stress.  This condition comes with categories.  I am sure most people are not aware that children experience this as well.  For children though, it exists more often in the automatic, or subconscious, subtype and may not consciously remember pulling their hair.  As for the adults, may have focused, or conscious, rituals associated with hair pulling, including seeking specific types of hairs to pull, pulling until the hair feels "just right", or pulling in response to a specific sensation.

People out there who pull out their eyebrows or give themselves bald spots, fret not.  You might be relieved to know that the condition is treatable.  See a cognitive behavioral therapist and ask about newer antidepressants, which also treat anxiety.  Parents who have children having this condition are counseled to ignore the behaviors especially in pre-school age children, as they frequently outgrow it.  Bear in mind that at the end of the day, the decision is all yours.  As quoted by Peterson, “Of course, whether you need treatment, it is up to you.”

You know another solution that might work?  Well, according to me (who is not an expert in any medical field or some fancy philosopher), just a rule I personally hold on to, THE rule of life.  Be happy!  Stop feeling down, find good things about yourself and say it out loud everyday!  Maybe in front of the mirror?  Come on, you are unique, you are yourself.  And of course everybody has their own quirky thing going on.  Including me, which is imitating the accent of Sean Connery whenever I am talking.  There, I said it.  So peeps, I had so much fun writing columns and I sincerely hope I’ll see you guys soon!  Oh, pleaseeee, miss me. 

If you want to be happy, be.  ~ Leo Tolstoy

Filzah Sobri is very keen in writing about quirks in life. Having interest in observing, analyzing and getting to know weird things, she also believes good writings can change the world. So don't miss her next week on 'This & That' section!