Amy Schumer has opened up about her struggles with trichotillomania, a disorder that causes her to pull out her hair, and her fear that her three-year-old son will develop it too.
Schumer, 40, discussed how she has trichotillomania and how it’s incorporated into her newest television show, Life with Beth, during a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter. As noted by Mayo Clinic, the hair-pulling disorder consists of “irresistible urges to pull out hair from your scalp, eyebrows or other areas of your body, despite trying to stop.”
And while the comedian said that she’s had this condition for years, she’s ket it a “big secret.”
“I think everybody has a big secret and that’s mine,” she said. “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.”
Similar to her character in Life with Beth, Schumer said that she had once pulled out her hair so much when she was a child that she had to put on a wig before going to school.
However, she clarified that she still “struggles with” trichotillomania herself, as it’s not a problem that goes away. She also has a fear that her son, Gene, could ultimately have the condition too, as “genetics may play a role in the development” of it, per Mayo Clinic.
“Every time he touches his head I’m having a heart attack,” she said.
Regarding why she made her experiences with trichotillomania a part of the show, Schumer acknowledged how she doesn’t want her condition to be a “big secret” and hopes to “help others” going through the same experiences as her.
“I really don’t want to have a big secret anymore,” she explained. “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.”
Schumer has previously addressed how her personal life plays a role in Life With Beth. Speaking to Time, she again discussed how she used a wig to cover a bald spot, noting how, at the time, she was dealing with the stress of her parents’ separation and her father being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a chronic illness that affects the nervous system.
“It’s been the thing that I’ve been most ashamed of,” she said about her trichotillomania. “It feels really freeing to finally let go of some of that.”
