Yes, persistent, irresistible hair pulling is a recognized mental health condition called Trichotillomania (Hair-Pulling Disorder), classified as a body-focused repetitive behavior (BFRB) and often linked to obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD), causing significant distress, hair loss, and impacting quality of life, requiring professional treatment.
Treatment usually involves:
What Not to Do
Overview. Trichotillomania (trik-o-til-o-MAY-nee-uh), also called hair-pulling disorder, is a mental health condition. It involves frequent, repeated and irresistible urges to pull out hair from your scalp, eyebrows or other areas of your body. You may try to resist the urges, but you can't stop.
Trichotillomania is a highly comorbid disorder, with a lifetime prevalence of concomitant psychiatric disease as high as 80%. The most common associated disorders are anxiety, major depression, substance misuse, eating disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, personality disorders, and body dysmorphic disorder [6].
In a study, childhood sexual trauma has been found as 25.8% and childhood physical abuse as 20.6% in subjects with TTM. Gershuny et al reported that the childhood trauma was significantly higher in OCD and TTM groups than in healthy subjects.
Actress Olivia Munn recently shared her struggles with trichotillomania, a mental health condition that causes people to pull out their own hair. Opening up about the disorder has sparked conversation about how common trichotillomania is and what treatments are available.
Misdiagnosis of trichotillomania and skin-picking disorder is unfortunately common (Table 1). Individuals may receive a misdiagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, or even drug addiction.
Results. SSRIs and clomipramine are considered first-line in TTM. In addition, family members of TTM patients are often affected by obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders. Other drugs used in the treatment of TTM are lamotrigine, olanzapine, N-Acetylcysteine, inositol, and naltrexone.
While skin-picking and hair-pulling are typically associated with OCD and classified as an obsessive and compulsive-related disorder, it can also occur in the context of ADHD. Skin-picking, hair-pulling, and nail-biting may be related to anxiety, sensory stimulation, and impulsivity.
Despite the emotional toll, you are not alone—approximately 5% of the U.S. population is affected by Trich. In fact, several well-known public figures have openly shared their experiences, including Olivia Munn, Megan Fox, Charlize Theron, Katy Perry, Victoria Beckham, and Justin Timberlake.
As many as 1 - 2 people in 100 has the following signs and symptoms of trichotillomania: Hair pulling resulting in notable hair loss, unrelated to common baldness or forms of alopecia. Pleasure, excitement, or relief when pulling out hair. Embarrassment or shame resulting from hair loss.
It is also important that a primary care doctor is seen to ensure that there are no other conditions that could be causing the pulling. Are there certain things that make Trichotillomania worse? Stress can cause hair pulling to get worse.
Recently, N-acetylcisteine, a glutamate modulator, has shown efficacy in the treatment of trichotillomania and other compulsive behaviors, and is considered a new alternative in the management of this condition. We describe two patients with trichotillomania successfully treated with N-acetylcysteine.
The treatment includes therapy techniques combined with anxiety-relieving medications. The currently studied therapy techniques for the treatment of trichotillomania include cognitive behavioral therapy and habit reversal training.
Trichotillomania Triggered by Vitamin D Deficiency and Resolving Dramatically With Vitamin D Therapy. Clin Neuropharmacol.
For example, your health care provider may recommend an antidepressant, such as clomipramine (Anafranil). Research suggests that N-acetylcysteine (as-uh-tul-SIS-tee-een), an amino acid that affects mood, also may help. Another option that research suggests may have benefit is olanzapine (Zyprexa).
What tests will be done to diagnose it? In some cases, a “punch biopsy” (where your healthcare provider takes a skin sample for lab analysis) is necessary to confirm a diagnosis of TTM. This test can also rule out other skin conditions that might be the true cause of hair loss or hair pulling.
Common types of compulsive behaviour in people with OCD include:
The clinical presentation of trichotillomania is usually characteristic, with varying length hair distributed within areas of alopecia on otherwise normal scalp. In severe forms, tonsure pattern of baldness results, involving the entire scalp sparing the hair at the margins.
The TC patients were high scorers in all Neuroticism subscales including anxiety, angry-hostility, depression, self-consciousness, impulsivity, and vulnerability to stress. The patient group had lower scores on the compliance scale, a subscale of Agreeableness.
Charlize Theron She's best known for films like Sweet November, Monster and Mighty Joe Young. Once during an interview at "Kyle and Jackie O", O",ar an Australian radio show, Charlize admitted that she'd been diagnosed with the trichotillomania disorder.