'Pulling my hair has been a comfort thing. I do it a lot when I am stressed or upset'
At 19, Rebecca’s psychological disorder had got so bad she was forced to shave her head completely.
Doctors only recently diagnosed Rebecca with trichotillomania: a disorder which afflicts its sufferers with an uncontrollable urge to pluck out their hair, usually from the scalp but sometimes the eyebrows and eyelashes.
During the five years Rebecca’s condition was left undiagnosed, while enduring cruel comments from her peers, the lost schoolgirl began taking a photograph of herself every day and charting her experience in an online blog and in YouTube videos.
The response was supportive, and as a result, Rebecca’s self-confidence has increased and her hair has grown back!
Rebecca, now 20, said: ‘I started going to the doctor about it when I was 13 but they didn’t diagnose it until 18. Before I was diagnosed, doctors advised me to do all sorts of silly things. One doctor told me to stop fidgeting and another told me to sit on my hands.
‘Some people say trichotillomania is a result of childhood trauma but for me, pulling my hair has been a comfort thing. I do it a lot when I am stressed or upset.
'I have found it hard to speak to councillors but it has always felt easy to talk to a webcam’
‘A lot of people at school and college didn’t understand why I was going bald. Lots of people mockingly called me “baldie”. But it was the horrible looks that I got from other kids that was the worst thing.’
Now Rebecca is a heroine for others who have been suffering with the sane disorder in silence.
She said: 'I get a lot of post from people who confide in me about their trichotillomania yet they haven't told their family or friends about it. I feel very blessed that people trust me like that'
At 14, Essex-born Rebecca had tried to diagnose herself by searching her symptoms on the internet, but found little information.
‘I decided to upload my own, no-holds-barred video.’
Rebecca, who is in her final year at film school in London, believes that posting the videos on the internet has aided her recovery. ‘I have found it hard to speak to councillors but it has always felt easy to talk to a webcam,’ she said.