Amy Schumer has opened up about a hair-pulling disorder she suffered from as a child that continues to affect her, saying that she hopes she can help others ‘alleviate’ the shame they may feel.
When someone has trichotillomania, otherwise known as trich, they find it difficult to resist the urge of pulling their hair out, the NHS explains.
The condition can be caused by stress and anxiety, and can involve people pulling their hair out of their eyebrows, eyelashes, pubic region or facial hair.
In Amy’s new series Life & Beth, which she stars in and on which she’s also a director and executive producer, a scene reveals that the younger version of her character, Beth, has trichotillomania.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the comedian – who’s set to co-host the 2022 Oscars this Sunday – said that she believes ‘everybody has a big secret and that’s mine’, adding: ‘And I’m proud that my big secret only hurts me but it’s been what I’ve carried so much shame about for so long.’
In the series, it’s revealed that Beth once plucked so much of her own hair out that she needed to find a wig before returning to school, mimicking a real-life experience of Amy’s.
Recalling how ‘everybody knew’, at the time, the 40-year-old stressed that ‘it’s not that I used to have this problem and now I don’t’, as ‘it’s still something that I struggle with’.
Admitting that she fears her two-year-old son could develop the same condition, Amy outlined why she decided to include the storyline in the show.
‘I really don’t want to have a big secret anymore,’ she said.
‘And I thought putting it in there would be good for me to alleviate some of my shame and maybe, hopefully, help others alleviate some of theirs, too.’
The TLC Foundation for Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors commended Amy and the series ‘for their accurate and respectful portrayal of a person experiencing trichotillomania’.
One person on Twitter praised Amy for ‘bringing attention to trichotillomania’ on the programme, saying that they felt ‘seen’.
‘I love you @amyschumer for breaking the stigma on trichotillomania in #LifeandBeth,’ someone else said.
Another viewer thanked Amy, writing: ‘Never once have I seen myself so clearly on the screen before.
‘Sure, I’ve seen my anxiety/depression self, the whole “smart blonde” schtick…but trichotillomania, my secret disease until just last year? Never, until #lifeandbeth.’
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