Trichotillomania
Trichotillomania, which literally means “Hair Pulling Madness” in Greek, is the term used to describe the irresistible urge that some people have to pull their own hair out from their scalp, their eyebrows and other parts of the body.
It is a compulsive behavior which the person finds very difficult to stop; in spite of the devastating results that hair pulling may have on one’s vanity and sanity. Although Trichotillomania is more of a psychological disorder, dermatologists seem to be the first specialists to be approached by most persons afflicted by this illness. It is believed that anywhere between 2 to 4% of the population suffers from Trichotillomania. And women are almost four times as likely as men to suffer from it. Now why would anyone willfully harm themselves to begin with?
Like many psychological illnesses, Trichotillomania generally finds its roots in the adolescent stage, and quite often continues into adulthood. Many patients are even blissfully unaware that they are doing it. Trichotillomania causes can range from anxiety to depression to obsessive compulsive disorder, and can also be triggered by sudden bouts of stress.
Trichotillomania treatment is conducted depending on the patient’s age. Parents are told to ignore the behavior in younger children in the hopes that they outgrow the habit, but if an adult is diagnosed with it then the treatment for trichotillomania is essential to their mental and physical health. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is one form of non-medicinal therapy used to re-program one’s mind against the hair pulling. The theory behind it is that as we learn and practice new ways to deal with the emotional or situational triggers that cause the Trichotillomania, new neural pathways are formed in the brain and new behaviors are developed, hence eliminating the urge to pull one’s hair from one’s skin. At the same time many people ask “What can I take to cure this once and for all?”
The simple truth is that the use of pharmaceuticals as a trichotillomania cure though looked upon as a magical and instant solution does not always benefit everyone. In fact, most often it serves only as a temporary solution and can only provide respite while one explores other more long lasting therapies with one’s doctor. It must be remembered that Trichotillomania patients have deeper underlying mental or emotional problems and for a more permanent solution you have to treat the root cause and not the peripheral symptoms.
