An Orange mum is hoping to shed light on a disorder not normally associated with younger kids.
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Desiree Fletcher's four-year-old daughter Paige was recently diagnosed with trichotillomania, also known as hair-pulling disorder.
It all started in January when Mrs Fletcher was admitted to hospital when her water broke at 31 weeks. With her husband away for work, Paige had to move in with her grandparents for a month.
"She started to pull her hair as a stress reliever and it hasn't stopped for the last eight months," the mother of four said.
"This disease isn't commonly diagnosed because people don't recognise it as an issue, especially in children."
So when a doctor diagnosed Paige, they gave a solution to cut her hair.
To make the best of the situation, they decided to not only go in for a trim, but to donate it to Hair With Heart, which will use the locks to make wigs for other people.
"Paige absolutely loved it. The girls at Pose Hair Design made her feel comfortable and pampered her a little bit," Mrs Fletcher added.
"She doesn't really understand the concept of donating her hair, she just thinks another little girl will get a Rapunzel wig."
Now they will have to wait and see whether the shorter hair will prevent Paige from falling back into bad habits.
"If this doesn't work then we will have to shave her head so she can't access her hair," Mrs Fletcher said.
"Hopefully this does the trick, we've had lots of conversations about no hair pulling.
"I wish it was more commonly spoken about so parents can see that it is an issue and can be a life-long issue if it's not brought up with a doctor."
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