Trichotillmania

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 ?