Trichotillomania hair pulling disorder
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If you have TTM, it’s important to see a healthcare provider (or multiple providers) with specialized training and experience in treating this condition. They can best guide you on what you can do to minimize the impact of this condition on your life. However, the older a person gets — especially from adolescence onward — the greater the odds that treating the condition becomes difficult. But its impacts on a person’s life, especially their mental health, are often severe. Because of this, early diagnosis and treatment are very important. The possible side effects that can happen with medications depend on the medications themselves, as well as your medical history and circumstances.
Therapy
Cases of trich fall on a large spectrum of severity, affected areas and responsiveness to treatment. The disorder may also become chronic, with symptoms appearing for weeks, months or years at a time. Trich is commonly treated using a type of CBT called habit reversal training.
How can you prevent trichotillomania?
People with OCD often feel anxiety or fear about their obsessions. For example, someone might worry obsessively about things being out of order and feel a compulsion to arrange their things in a certain order. This creates a cycle in your brain where you think about the habit and feel the urge to do it.
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When it’s severe, it often has extremely negative effects on a person’s happiness, well-being and overall quality of life. Research estimates indicate that between 0.5% and 2% of the general population experience trichotillomania. The specific types of hair-pulling behavior may vary from person to person.
However, limited research suggests that specific behavioral therapies and medications may be beneficial for people with the condition. Most people with trichotillomania develop the condition in adolescence. Some of these people may then struggle with the condition continually or intermittently throughout adulthood.
Even though hair-pulling disorder is classified as an obsessive-compulsive disorder, it is treated differently. A mental health professional can diagnose trichotillomania based on a clinical evaluation, a person's health history, and testing to rule out other causes of hair loss. So far, studies have shown that people with trichotillomania are more likely to also have ADHD. In one study that looked at people with trichotillomania, almost 1 in 6 also had ADHD. People who have ADHD and trichotillomania might have more issues with controlling their impulses than people who only have one condition.
Home remedy #1: Over-the-counter ingrown hair products
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Children commonly pull their hair in this way, but that behavior is often a self-soothing act. Children often grow out of this behavior and don’t have any long-term negative effects. Adolescents, teenagers and adults with this condition tend to have much more severe problems. Trichotillomania is not just a nervous habit, although it may be triggered or made worse by stress.
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In general, trichotillomania often co-occurs with other psychological problems, such as anxiety, OCD, or eating, mood, and personality disorders. The onset of trichotillomania often coincides with the onset of puberty, and symptoms typically first appear between the ages of 10 to 13. However, symptoms may also manifest in infants, younger children, older teens, or adults.
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Psychotherapy may also help to address underlying stress, trauma, and anxiety, potentially reducing the precursors that lead to hair pulling. Researchers are still working to clarify the precise causes of trichotillomania hair pulling. Currently, experts believe that it may be due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors, including social influences and psychological stressors. If a person thinks they have trichotillomania, they should see their doctor for a diagnosis. The doctor may refer the person for specialist treatment, such as behavioral therapy.
Physical effects such as pruritus, tissue damage, infection, and repetitive motion injuries to the muscles or joints are not uncommon. Although trichobezoars are rare, they are a serious risk for those who ingest hair. There are times when pulling occurs in a goal-directed manner and also in an automatic manner in which the individual is less aware. Many individuals report noticeable sensations before, during, and after pulling. A wide range of emotions, spanning from boredom to anxiety, frustration, and depression can affect hair pulling, as can thoughts, beliefs, and values.
About 0.5 to 2 percent of people are affected with trichotillomania. If you’re living with trichotillomania, or think you might be, here’s how to identify symptoms and find the right treatments. Sometimes doctors prescribe medications to help control symptoms. Nantidepressants) may help, particularly if the person also has symptoms of depression or anxiety. Most of the time, people with trichotillomania pull out their hair with their fingers, but you might also use tweezers or other tools. With focused pulling, people know that they are doing it but can't stop themselves.
Make sure to tell your care team if you experience obsessive thoughts, compulsions, anxiety, or fear. Your mental health professional can help you figure out if you have OCD or an anxiety disorder and include helping you feel better in your treatment plan. Hairpulling sometimes helps people feel in control of unpleasant physical sensations.
Shame and other negative feelings prevent many people from seeking treatment specifically for TTM. Because the disorder is not widely known or understood, many who struggle with it are not aware that it's a mental health condition for which they can seek treatment. Though your symptoms may vary in severity and fluctuate over time, trichotillomania is chronic.
The most common manifestation is picking hair from the scalp, though many people with this condition also pull eyebrow and pubic hair. Incidences of hair-pulling sometimes follow challenging emotions or negative thoughts, but in other cases, the behavior is mostly unconscious. You do not need to have all the answers by yourself; it’s okay to depend on other people. Trichotillomania is one of several other mental health conditions that can develop from genetics or as a result of traumatic experiences.
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