Amy Schumer Opens Up About Her Struggle with Hair-Pulling Disorder Trichotillomania

Amy Schumer is getting candid about her struggle with trichotillomania.

The Mayo Clinic defines trichotillomania as a mental disorder that involves recurrent, irresistible urges to pull out hair from your scalp, eyebrows or other areas of your body, despite trying to stop.

Amy‘s character in her new series Life & Beth struggles with the disorder, with one scene culminating in the camera panning to a pile of hair as she whispers about needing a wig.

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the comedian revealed that her character was inspired by her own experience with trichotillomania.

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Amy said that when she was a child she pulled out so much hair that she needed a wig and “everybody knew” when she came back to school.

“I think everybody has a big secret and that’s mine. 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,” she said of the disorder, which began before her teenage years.

“It’s not that I used to have this problem and now I don’t,” she continued. “It’s still something that I struggle with.”

Amy went on to say that since there is a genetic component to the disorder, it’s something she’s worried her 2-year-old son Gene could develop. “Every time he touches his head I’m having a heart attack,” she explained.

“I really don’t want to have a big secret anymore,” she said of her decision to be open about her experience. “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.”

Amy recently revealed the parenting advice she gave her good friend Jennifer Lawrence.