Student with rare hair pulling condition trichotillomania becomes online sensation Rebecca Brown, 20, has trichotillomania - the compulsive urge to pull hair She started pulling out her hair when she was 12 and by 16 was nearly bald At 19 her condition deteriorated and she was forced to shave her head She is now recovering and her hair is starting to grow back She posted videos on YouTube showing photos she took of herself everyday for five years A student has become an online sensation after she made videos showing how a rare condition made her go bald. Rebecca Brown, 20, took a photo of herself every day for five years to show how the hair pulling condition ravaged her appearance. Ms Brown started pulling her hair out at the age of 12 and by the time she was 16 she was nearly bald. Rebecca Brown started pulling her hair out at the age of 12 and by the time she was 16 she was nearly bald. When she was 19 the condition got so bad she was forced to shave her head completely (pictured) Her condition deteriorated so much that at 19, she had so little hair left that she was forced to shave off what little remained. But now Ms Brown has become a star after documenting her condition in a series of videos that have amassed millions of hits on YouTube. She suffers from a rare disorder, called trichotillomania, that causes people to pull their hair out. 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," she explained. In the last year her condition has improved and her hair has started growing back. Ms Brown, from Essex, was initially unaware that her compulsion to pull her hair out was a medically recognised problem. Ms Brown took photos of herself every day for five years and posted a slide show of the pictures on YouTube. She is pictured in February 2012 when the condition was particularly bad Ms Brown (pictured before she started pulling out her hair) said: '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 It was the lack of online information about the syndrome that moved her to take action. She said: "It was only when I did a Google search for "hair pulling" when I was 14 years old that I discovered what Trichotillomania was. All that came up were three not-so-brilliant videos on the disorder. I decided to upload my own, no-holds-barred video about trichotillomania and explain what it is. I was astounded by the response it received. In a short matter of time, my video had notched up hundreds of thousands of views and comments. I realised that there was a huge group of people who suffered from the condition in silence. Since then, Ms Brown has posted videos and photos on all aspects of her struggle with trichotillomania. Ms Brown (pictured in 2012 after shaving her head) said she decided to make the videos about her condition when she realised how little information there was about it on the internet As a result of her YouTube videos, Ms Brown (pictured in February 2012) had a large group of supporters who also have trichotillomania She has become a hero for many sufferers, being mobbed by fans when she attended the Trichotillomania Learning Centre Conference in New Jersey in the U.S. earlier this year. She has been dubbed 'Trichotillomania Girl' by the community and is regularly inundated with letters, sweets and gifts from her followers. She spends about three hours a week responding to fan mail. 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. Ms Brown, who is completing her final year in Practical Filmmaking at MET Film School in London, says that making these videos has aided her recovery. It has given me a voice. I have found it hard to speak to counsellors about my problem but it has always felt easy to talk to a webcam. 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 She said: 'It has given me a voice. I have found it hard to speak to counsellors about my problem but it has always felt easy to talk to a webcam A spokesperson for Trichotillomania Support, a resource for people with the disorder, said: "Trichotillomania can often affect shy people who are afraid or nervous to ask for help. It is important that sufferers know they are not alone and they should not be ashamed of asking for support. Any individual with the condition can call the Trichotillomania Support helpline. Although it is often only in exceptional cases that people are able to stop pulling their hair altogether, there are ways in which you can learn to manage your trichotillomania. More information and help can be found on Trichotillomania Support's website, www.trichotillomania.co.uk Trichotillomania is a condition where a person feels compelled to pull out their hair. They may pull out the hair on their head or in other places, such as their eyebrows or eyelashes. It is a psychological condition and causes sufferers to feels a growing sense of tension until they pull out a hair. When they do so, they experience a feeling of relief. In some cases, it is so severe it leads to baldness. It can also cause feelings of guilt, shame and embarrassment and many sufferers try to cover it up. The most effective method of treatment is cognitive behavioural therapy which helps people manage the problem by changing they way they think.