Plucked: The Calm And Chaos Of A Hair-Pulling Disorder (Revisited)

Anita agrees to a suggestion posed by a listener: Explore why the hair-pulling disorder trichotillomania is so taboo. She talks with an artist who started pulling their hair more than two decades ago but only recently told her parents…after publishing part of their story in a national news outlet. A psychologist on the front lines of studying trich treatment talks about the importance of acceptance; and a hairstylist with trich takes us into why her salon is a safe haven for other folks with hair loss.

Meet the guests:

- Haruka Aoki, a poet and illustrator who published a comic about their trichotillomania journey in The Washington Post, shares what it was like to learn a term for the disorder later in life

- Dr. Suzanne Mouton-Odum, a licensed psychologist and board member for the TLC Foundation for Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors, describes her counseling work with folks who experience trich

- Dorin Azérad, a hair loss hairstylist, shares how her ongoing journey with trich shapes the services she offers to other folks with hair loss at her salon

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Dive deeper:

- Self-Care Provider Directory for folks with BFRB

- The TLC Foundation on Trich

- Haruka’s children’s book “Fitting In”