I turned to the internet to explain my inexplicable behaviour. I refuted my symptoms because they pointed to a chronic disorder. I tried to conceal the evidence. I would often have to discard a pile of hair below me after a long session of pulling. When questioned by my parents who had detected my noticeable hair loss, I explained that I was probably vitamin-deficient. I was ashamed and embarrassed. The stigma of mental illness caused me to deny what I had come to discover.