Trichotillomania!!

What is Trichotillomania (try-co-til-lo-ma-nia)

For whatever it is, Trichotillomania is a not a disease or a medical condition. It's more known as an Impulse Control Disorder that makes you want to frequently pull out your hair. It's quite similar to people that bite their nails when they get nervous or stress.

The Signs and Symptoms

Most people with this disorder pull hairs from their scalp but they can also pull from their eyebrows and legs or hands. They can use their hands, combs and tweezers to pull their hair out. You will notice that you are

• self inflicting hair loss creating bald patches
• chewing or eating your hair
• playing with the hair that you pulled

For most people, they realized that they are actually pulling their hair but they let it happen. It's more like a habitual thing and they are addicted to it.

What causes it?

There specific reasons for Trichotillomania. However research has shown that several factors such as

• disorders involving chemical transfers in the nerves
• stress
• habit
• anxiety disorders

There are some important factors that cause this hair pulling. That may include

• your hair features particularly

  • gray hairs
  • curly hairs
  • hair texture
  • odd hairs

• bad mood
  In times where you are having a bad mood you might feel the urge to pull out your hair.
• during activities
  you might be pulling out your hair while watching television, chatting on the phone or any other activities.
• negative reinforcement
  sometimes when you are under stress or in a negative situation, you might feel that pulling your hair can give you some sort of security.

Researchers are still trying to find a real cause to this disorder but they believe most of the problem starts at a fairly young age.

What can Trichotillomania leads to?

Well although it's hard to believe, some cases of Trichotillomania may be life threatening to some. Some people with this disorder might swallow their own hair without realizing it. As our hair is not digestable in the body, it might cause a condition known as Trichobezoar or hair ball which can cause

• vomiting
• weight loss
• intestinal obstruction

In some extreme cases, this can even lead to death. So watch out.

Besides that, your constant pulling of the hair will lead to irrecoverable bald patches as you pull out the hair follicles. Hair loss from this disorder can cause severe psychological effects for your normal life.

Seeking the Right Treatment

Since Trichotillomania is a kind of impulse control disorder, the most effective kind of treatment will be Habit Replacement Therapy (HRT). You will need to

• learn about your habit
• be aware of it
• know why you are doing it
• learn techniques to stop it

Some anti depressants are found to be effective for you if your condition is related to stress. Medications like

• Fluoxetine (Prozac)
• Fluvoxamine (Luvox)
• Sertraline (Zoloft)
• Paroxetine (Paxil)
• Clomipramine (Anafranil)
• Valproate (Depakote)
• Lithium Carbonate (Lithobid, Eskalith)

can be prescribe by your doctor along with HRT to manage your disorder.

Prevention is Better than Cure

If someone in your family or friends are commenting that you are having this condition. It's best to listen to their advise early. Don't be stubborn. Think of the consequences and personal damage it will do to your physically and mentally if you allow this to continue.

If you think you are facing with this condition, start early, join a support group and constantly remind yourself that what you are doing is damaging your hair and lifestyle. If you can't do it by yourself, see a psychologist for help. It's always good to stop bad habits before it's too late.