Dear Doctor,
I understand that you must have hypochondriacs visit you frequently. Perhaps that annoys you, maybe you feel like they’re wasting your time. Perhaps you’ve been fortunate enough to never experience health anxiety and can’t understand things from their point of view.
My husband suffers from trichotillomania. It is a little known mental health condition, which consists of the impulsive pulling of hair, which can be from anywhere on the body. This can result in bald patches and feelings of guilt and embarrassment. I’ve interviewed my husband on his experience of trichotillomania, in an effort to help raise awareness. I have only read stories of women having it online, so I’m hoping that it may help some people to read about a man with the condition.
On Monday morning, I was alarmed to read an article that said Medway Council were closing their Sure Start Children’s Centres. I was even more disgruntled to read that it was so that they could save £60,000 to fund a party and fireworks! Those who know me well will know that despite being introverted, I am one to stand my ground. My mind instantly started buzzing with thoughts about petitions and protests…
When you’re pregnant you spend hours looking at baby names with your partner, trying to pick the perfect one for your unborn child. My husband and I were no different; hours were spent searching the internet looking for inspiration. So, it pains me to say that for a period of time, I couldn’t stand my daughter’s name, despite the fact that I was the one who had chosen it. Hearing her name made me flinch; I felt like I wanted to change it to something else…
***Warning: This post is emotional, discusses mental health issues and may be a trigger to some***
If you’re reading this post, you may have read last Saturday’s post about when Autumn was ill and in hospital. This post is about how I was feeling when she was in hospital, as I was not well myself and it had a terrible effect on my mental health.