Trichotillomania
A disorder that involves recurrent, irresistible urges to pull out body hair.
The urges involve pulling out hair from the scalp, eyebrows, or other areas of the body.
Symptoms include compulsive hair pulling and hair loss, such as bald patches on the scalp. Social and work functioning may be affected.
Treatment options include counseling and medications, such as antidepressants.
Cluster Number:
Wiki Number: PW220
Diagnosis: Trichotillomania
US Patients: 0.6% to 4%
World Patients:
Sex Ratio: B;G10; M;F3
Age Onset: childhood or 9-13 and then continues into adulthood if there are underlying psychiatric causes
Brain Area: basal ganglia develop a habit and the frontal lobes don’t stop them; extra gray matter (interpretation)
Symptoms: Compulsive hair-pulling from scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes, face, arms and legs – and rarely, elsewhere,may also eat the hair
Progression: Can result in low self-esteem and fear of socializing
Causes: hereditary, pulls triggered by anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder
Medications: clomipramine may help; naltrexone and fluoxetine, also ; some medications increase hair-pulling
Therapies: CBT- habit-reversal training, biofeedback, hypnosis; electronic hand-tracking equipment may help, support groups
Youtube Video:
Overcoming Trichotillomania: The Power of Awareness
Amazon or Library Book: The Hair Pulling “Habit” and You
Click the book to link or order from Amazon.
Support Group: bfrb.org; 831-0457-1004
(Body Focused Repetitive Disorders)
4 CURRENT ARTICLES
FROM PUBMED
The world-wide medical research
reports chosen for each diagnosis
Clicking each title opens the
PubMed article’s summary-abstract.
- Theory of mind in trichotillomania: A cross-sectional comparison with healthy controlsby Aslı Gönül Kaçar on January 17, 2025
CONCLUSION: Our findings show that there is an impairment in ToM skills in patients with TTM and that this impairment is independent of clinical features. Studies with larger samples are needed on this subject.
- Innovative Strands of Healing: Nurturing Recovery in a Case of Trichotillomania Via Tele-Based Habit Reversal Therapyby Rika Rijal on January 17, 2025
No abstract
- Gender-Affirming Surgery, Trichotillomania, Lipid Disorders, Bacterial Prostatitis, Mastitis, Adhesive Capsulitison January 17, 2025
No abstract
- Advances in Topical Therapies for Clinically Relevant and Prevalent Forms of Alopeciaby Aarushi K Parikh on January 8, 2025
Alopecia encompasses diverse conditions that vary by etiology, progression, and clinical presentation, including androgenetic alopecia, alopecia areata, telogen effluvium, and scarring alopecias such as lichen planopilaris and central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia. Managing these conditions requires tailored therapeutic approaches, with topical treatments emerging as effective first-line interventions. This literature review examines topical therapies across alopecia types, assessing...