Trichotillomania: When You Always Want to Literally Pull Out Your Hair
Rebecca Brown struggles with the intense compulsion to pull out her hair.
— -- Video blogger Rebecca Brown, aka “Beckie O,” won over thousands of fans with her quirky antics.
But what blasted Brown to fame was when she went public with the most private of her secrets: her compulsion to tear out her own hair.
“That video exploded. It had hundreds of thousands of views, and it just, it really opened my eyes to how big the condition was,” Brown, 22, told ABC News’ “20/20.” “I thought I was on my own.”
Since she was 13, Brown has been “vlogging” about her struggle with a disorder called trichotillomania, which literally means the mania to pull out hair.
Brown stars in a documentary by Jillian Corsie called “Trichster,” which explores the destructive force of the disorder to both mind and body. The film will be screened at the Soho International Film Festival in May.
As a way of coping with her struggle with trichotillomania, Brown uses art to express herself. Watch the video above to see Brown draw what she wishes she looked like.