Comedienne Amy Schumer reveals struggle with hair-pulling disorder

NEW YORK • American comedienne Amy Schumer has revealed an ongoing struggle with trichotillomania, also known as hair-pulling disorder.

According to the United States non-profit medical research centre Mayo Clinic, trichotillomania is a mental health disorder in which sufferers have "recurrent, irresistible urges to pull out hair from their scalp, eyebrows or other areas of their body",

In an interview published last Friday, Schumer, 40, told The Hollywood Reporter that the condition manifested itself during a chaotic period in her life and that she still suffers from it.

She has been open in the past about her turbulent family life, including about how her father went bankrupt and was diagnosed with the auto-immune disease known as multiple sclerosis.

"I think everybody has a big secret and that's mine. And I'm proud that my big secret hurts only me, but it's been what I've carried so much shame about for so long," she said.

She also said she was afraid her two-year-old son - her only child with husband and chef Chris Fischer - might have inherited the condition. "Every time he touches his head, I have a heart attack," she added.

The New York-born stand-up actress, known for her roles in comedy films such as Trainwreck (2015) and I Feel Pretty (2018), has incorporated the condition into her new television show, Life & Beth. In the comedy-drama, her character, Beth, is diagnosed with trichotillomania as a child.

Schumer hopes the inclusion will be liberating for her and others who struggle with it. "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," said the co-host of this year's Oscars.