TRICHOTILLMANIA

WHAT IS IT?  An impulse-control disorder of pulling hair- which means that there is a failure to resist temptation, an urge or impulse that may harm oneself or others.  A form of OCD- obsessive compulsive disorder.  Honestly, horrid.

DIAGNOSIS  Recurring pulling out of ones own hair that results in noticeable hair loss.  Increasing sense of tension immediately before pulling out the hair or attempting to resist the behavior.  Pleasure gratification or relief when successfully pulling out the hair.  If you have another mental disease, you will not be diagnosed with trichotillomania.  Causes distress and impairment in social, occupational, and other life skills.

WHO DOES IT AFFECT?  1-3% of today’s society.  Affects more girls than guys.  About 80-90% reported cases are women.  All ages.  All socio economic backgrounds and races.  Most common in Caucasian people.

WHEN DOES IT START?  It can start in kids as young as one years old.  Compared to other habits such as nail biting or thumb sucking.  In the same way that kids stop thumb sucking, trichotillomania will eventually stop on its own.  Most common in the pre-adolescent stage 9-13 years of age.

WHERE DO YOU PULL FROM?  ANYWHERE on the body! If there is hair noticeable and visible, a person with trichotillomania will have the urge to pull.  Most common sites are eyebrows, eyelashes, pubic region, and scalp.

WHY DO WE PULL?  Antecedents to pulling have been discovered across multiple phenomenological domains including sensory stimulation, emotions, and cognitions.  Emotions such as tiredness, boredom, anxious, happiness, sadness, anger, and others depending on the person.  We scan for the “right” hair.  Out of place, length and thickness.

HOW DO WE PULL HAIR?  We are alone or with people who know about it when we pull the most.  Primary method of hair extraction is with the fingertips.  Also can pull with tweezers, combs, or brushes.  Hair pulling is one at a time.

EYEBROWS

EYELASHES

SCALP

ANOTHER SCALP

RITUALS  Looking at the follicle after pulling.  Running the follicle through your teeth and eating it.  This can cause trichobezaeors.  Not all people do this.

…  I can go on and on about this disease but it is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly.  ANY QUESTIONS ?