I've been pulling for over 20 years - I'm now 36 - and this year reached the point where the hair on my head is so thin and damaged that I decided to start wearing a wig. I never wanted to before because I was afraid it would look unnatural and would increase the danger of being "found out" as a hair puller. I've been wearing the wig for four months now and I love the feeling of having thick hair again, and it does feel more "normal" than wearing bandanas and hats every day.

But now I am getting increasingly anxious about the wig coming off in public, and more and more upset about the terrible state of my own hair and scalp. My hair has gone more than 50% white because of the damaged follicles and it is in a terrible condition. I am too ashamed to go to any hairdresser so have been clipping it short by myself at home. It looks hideous!

Meanwhile I have given up hope of ever stopping pulling. I;ve had several runs of psychotherapy over the years but nothing has ever helped me stop.

I feel so miserable about this. I'm studying just now, and the stress is clearly making me pull more, but now I fear that I'll never get a job again because I am such an out-of-control freak.