
What to do if your picking or pulling get out of hand
Understanding the psychology behind excessive skin-picking and hair-pulling can help you resist the urges and begin to heal
by Suzanne Mouton-Odum
Suzanne Mouton-Odum is a licensed psychologist who has served on the Scientific Advisory Board of the TLC Foundation for more than 20 years. She is the co-author of A Parent Guide to Hair Pulling Disorder (2013), Comprehensive Behavioral (ComB) Treatment of Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors: A Clinical Guide (2023) and The BFRB Survival Guide (2025), and has dedicated her life to helping people with BFRBs. She lives in Houston, Texas.