In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Amy Schumer candidly talks about the diagnosis where for several years she was dependent on pulling out her own hair.
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– It is something I have been very ashamed of for a long time, says Amy Schumer The Hollywood Reporter (THR).
The American stand-up comedian and actor has long been seen on the American comedy channel Comedy Central, and has won several awards for his comedy and acting appearances.
In an interview with the newspaper, Schumer openly tells about the period when she suffered from the diagnosis trichotillomania – a mental disorder with an irresistible urge to pluck out her own body hair.
For several years she has struggled with the diagnosis, which still affects her to this day.
– It’s not like I used to have this problem, and that I do not have it now. It’s still something I’m struggling with.
Had to wear a wig
The actress tells THR that she was diagnosed when she was in a difficult time in life. Her father had gone bankrupt and suffered from MS. At the same time, Schumer’s mother is said to have left her father, in favor of the father of Schumer’s best friend.
One day Schumer is said to have pulled out so much hair that she had to wear a wig at school.
– I think everyone has a big secret, and this is mine, she says.
Schumer is currently working on the TV series “Life & Beth”, which addresses the diagnosis through Schumer’s character Beth. Through the series, she wants to create more openness and less shame around the diagnosis.
– I do not want to keep a big secret anymore, she says and continues,
– I think that to tell if it is good for me, to ease some of my shame, and maybe hopefully also the shame of others.
More common than you think
According to PEDIATRIC Trichotillomania is a more common condition than many people think. It is estimated that between five and ten million people in the United States alone suffer from this diagnosis. There are no Norwegian figures on how many people suffer from trichotillomania.
A report by the American Association of Anxiety and Depression (ADAA) states that the diagnosis often starts in childhood or adolescence, and during periods of stress.
Schumer says she is worried that her two-year-old son will be affected by the same diagnosis, as it may be genetic.
– Every time he touches his hair, I get a heart attack.
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