Many people who have learned to manage their trich say that speaking to others about the condition led to a reduction in hair pulling. The charity Trichotillomania Support has information on treatments and self-help advice.
Page last reviewed: 29 January Next review due: 29 January Home Mental health Mental health conditions Back to Mental health conditions. Trichotillomania hair pulling disorder. Trich is more common in teenagers and young adults. Symptoms of trichotillomania People with trich feel an intense urge to pull their hair out and they experience growing tension until they do.
Most people with trich pull out hair from their scalp, but some pull out hair from other areas, such as their: eyebrows eyelashes genital area beard or moustache Bald patches on the head may have an unusual shape and affect 1 side of the head more than the other. Others may be reluctant to seek a diagnosis for a variety of reasons. Doctors do not diagnose many cases of trichotillomania, which means there is very little information on effective treatments available.
However, limited research suggests that specific behavioral therapies and medications may be beneficial for people with the condition. A case study indicates that habit reversal therapy HRT , which is a type of behavioral therapy, might be effective in treating trichotillomania. HRT involves five stages:. According to a review , most experts agree that HRT should be the first-line treatment option for trichotillomania.
A review investigated the efficacy of different medications in treating trichotillomania. The review included eight trials, seven of which were placebo-controlled. The drugs investigated across the eight trials included:.
The reviewers identified olanzapine, N -acetylcysteine, and clomipramine as the only drugs to have a significant treatment effect on trichotillomania.
However, the studies used very small sample sizes and did not report information on side effects. Further controlled clinical trials are necessary to determine the safest and most appropriate drug treatments for trichotillomania.
This is the manual most mental health experts use to diagnose mental health-related conditions. The DSM-5 classifies trichotillomania as an obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Previous versions of the manual had classified it as an impulse control disorder. According to the National Organization for Rare Disorders , some people with trichotillomania also have other conditions, including:. One of the most common and serious complications of this behavior is the formation of a hairball in the stomach.
Doctors refer to this as a trichobezoar. A trichobezoar can cause damage to the gastrointestinal tract. Some possible complications of a trichobezoar include:. If you are experiencing symptoms of trichotillomania, you are not alone. Trichotillomania is diagnosed by a mental health professional. If you need help finding one or if someone you love has trichotillomania, the following resources may be able to help:.
Treatment of trichotillomania depends on the severity of the symptoms. A mental health professional may recommend the following:. HRT works by:. According to a review of studies three medications may have an effect on trichotillomania:. Trichotillomania is often underdiagnosed. Those who have symptoms may feel embarrassed or afraid to talk to their doctor about what they are experiencing. Symptoms may affect a person for just a few months, while it may affect another person off and on for many years.
Many people report symptoms happening in cycles where hair pulling urges may happen often for a few months then go away completely for a little while. If you think that your friend or loved one is experiencing symptoms of trichotillomania, it can be hard to know what to say. Here are some tips:. Trichotillomania affects many people all over the world each year and is considered a treatable mental health condition.
There are many ways to manage it with therapy and medication. If you or someone you know is experiencing these urges, reach out to your family doctor, mental health professional, or a trichotillomania support group. Obsessive-compulsive disorder OCD is a debilitating mental health condition that can impact a person's relationships, work, and happiness. Experts think the urge to pull hair happens because the brain's chemical signals called neurotransmitters don't work properly.
This creates the irresistible urges that lead people to pull their hair. Pulling the hair gives the person a feeling of relief or satisfaction. The more the person gives in to the urge by pulling and has the brief feeling of relief afterwards, the stronger the habit becomes. The longer this continues, the harder it is to resist the urge when it happens again.
People with trichotillomania usually need help from medical and behavioral specialists in order to stop. With the right help, most people overcome their hair-pulling urges. When someone is able to stop pulling, hair usually grows back. Overcoming hair-pulling urges may involve a type of behavioral therapy called habit substitution, taking medicine, or a combination of therapy and medicine.
In therapy, people with trichotillomania learn about urges. They learn how urges fade on their own when people don't give in to them, and how urges get stronger and happen more often when people do give in. They learn to identify situations, places, or times they usually have an urge to pull. Therapists teach people with trichotillomania how to plan a replacement habit they can do when they feel a strong urge to pull hair.
Replacement habits might be things like squeezing a stress ball, handling textured objects, or drawing.
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