Trichotillomania

Trichotillomania (TTM) is an impulse disorder characterised by the repeated urge to pull out scalp hair, eyelashes, eyebrows or other body hair. It is believed to be related to obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Most TTM sufferers live relatively normal lives, except for the shame of having bald spots on one's head. Many clinicianss characterize TTM as a mental disorder: TTM sufferers -- and some clinicians -- view this characterization as inaccurate and misleading, as well as conducive to discrimination against TTM sufferers. According to them, TTM is no more a mental disorder than is any other form of obsessive-compulsive behavior such as nail biting; many TTM sufferers have relatively normal work and social lives; and TTM sufferers are not any more likely to be unfit parents or to have significant personality disorders than anyone else. Shaving one's head is a workaround for some.

There have been recent clinical trials of drug treatment for trichotillomania, for example using anafranil, prozac, and lithium. One should use care in choosing a therapist who has specific experience and insight into the condition, lest one be overdiagnosed or overmedicated. Prozac and other similar drugs, which some professionals prescribe on a one-size-fits-all basis, tend to have limited usefulness in treating TTM, and can often have significant side effects.

A practice related to TTM is trichophagia, in which hairs are sucked and/or eaten. In extreme cases, this can lead to the development of a hairball or trichobezoar in the abdomen, a serious condition in humans.

External links

• Trichotillomania Learning Center up-to-date information, support, local (USA) resource referrals
• Sarah's page
• ABC News feature
• University of Iowa
• Psychiatric Times article
• Hairball kills teenager
• Trichobezoar

Books

• Penzel (2003) The Hair-Pulling Problem: A Complete Guide to Trichotillomania; Oxford University Press, ISBN 0195149424
• Keuthen, Stein, Christensen & Christenson (2001) Help for Hair Pullers: Understanding and Coping With Trichotillomania; New Harbinger Publications, ISBN 1572242329
• Stein (Ed.), Christenson (Ed.) & Hollander (Ed.) (1999) Trichotillomania; American Psychiatric Press, ISBN 0880487593