Trichotillomania is considered an impulse control disorder because people act on their impulses in an irresistible manner, knowing that it can do damage, but unfortunately find it hard to stop. People with TTH may partake in the act of hair-pulling when they’re stressed as a way to try cope/ soothe themselves. Hair pulling sites can be from the scalp, eyelashes, and eyebrows.
Symptoms
- Repeated behavior of excessive and intense hair-pulling
- Feelings of tension before acting on the impulse to pull out hair or when trying to resist the urge
- Feelings of distress in their work or social lives due to hair pulling
- Feelings of relief and satisfaction after acting on the hair pulling impulse
- Behaviors such as twirling, chewing, eating, or inspecting the hair
- Trichotillomania may start/ can be spotted in behaviors such as pulling fibers from blankets or hair from dolls
- Noticeable bald spots from hair-pulling behavior.
Prevalence
According to the APA, an estimated prevalence rate of 3.5% of the population meet the clinical criteria for Trichotillomania with a higher percentage in females than in males. TTH typically develops around the age of 12 until early adulthood.
Prognosis
The prognosis for Trichotillomania depends on the nature and intensity of the disorder and on the person’s environment. Yet, if the disorder is diagnosed early on, there is a better prognosis where treatment begins early. Proper treatment improves hair pulling and any comorbid feelings it might have like depression, anxiety, poor self-image. However, it’s important to know that TTH won’t go away on its own; it’s a mental health condition that requires treatment.
When to seek help
We encourage you to seek help as soon as you suspect that you, or someone you know have similar symptoms of Trichotillomania disorder. The sooner we understand the nature of these symptoms, the better it’ll be in managing them and reducing the impact it might have later on. If you already know someone with Trichotillomania, we recommend professional treatment with a mental health provider. They can help create a better, livable, constructive lives and manage symptoms accordingly. Lastly, we know that sometimes people tend to read symptoms associated with a certain disorder and claim that “I do that, I have this etc.”. When this happens, just remember that although we may share similar features with the symptoms listed, they have to be recurrent, persistent, and affect everyday job tasks greatly to be diagnosed as a disorder. They are rare and chronic, but help is always reachable and effective.
Treatment
A way to treat Trichotillomania is through psychotherapy, using a specific type of cognitive-behavioral therapy called habit reversal training. The aim is to help people with TTH notice and replace a bad habit with something that’s not that harmful and destructive.
The plan can look something like this:
- Keeping a diary of one’s hair pulling activities
- Noticing the triggers that happen pre hair pulling and try to avoid them
- Replacing the bad habit (hair pulling) with another activity like squeezing a stress ball
- Looking for support systems through family, friends, and trusted individuals
CBT and Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) are other ways to treat trichotillomania
Medications can be used to treat underlying conditions such as antidepressants, antipsychotics, anticonvulsants, and nutraceuticals. This of course needs a doctor’s prescription.