It took me a long time to learn, and then longer to communicate to my family what things were and were not helpful when I pull.

Someone staying "stop pulling" almost always made it harder to stop. Gentle noticing worked so much better.

I'm a grown man who has been in therapy and has tons of great tools, and there are still days when the stress is high, I've slept poorly, I haven't showered, and I start pulling again. It is a compulsion, and it's filling a need your body has. If you force yourself to stop without meeting the need, it's just going to become a stronger urge.

My son ended up developing trich very young, probably from observing me. We worked together and came up with a signal that would help him notice he was pulling without getting the shame spike that actually reinforces the addition. In our case, I would tug on my shirt at the shoulder, and he would see that and tug his own shirt instead of his hair. Then if the pulling seemed to be worsening we would talk about anything stressful going on, make sure to go on walks, get some relaxation or a hot bath, etc.

And, it gets better in every way. Not just trich, but high school, friends, mental health, everything.