Many people develop seemingly destructive behaviours as a means of coping with difficult feelings or situations. This video clip [here] describes one individual's experience of literally pulling her hair out as an example of this (a habit that is called 'trichotillomania'). More commonly, individuals use alcohol as a dysfunctional means of coping. This article [here] describes a study that has found that up to 60% of adults use alcohol as a means of coping with the stresses in their lives.