Is trichotillomania a spectrum?

Co-occurring Conditions. Trichotillomania is on the obsessive-compulsive spectrum, which means that it shares many symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), such as compulsive counting, checking, or washing.


What category does trichotillomania fall under?

Diagnostic Criteria

Trichotillomania (Hair Pulling Disorder) is listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – Fifth Edition (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013) under the new category of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders.

What kind of mania is known as trichotillomania?

Trichotillomania, also known as trich, is when someone cannot resist the urge to pull out their hair. They may pull out the hair on their head or in other places, such as their eyebrows or eyelashes.


What is the root cause of trichotillomania?

Trichotillomania can be related to emotions: Negative emotions. For many people with trichotillomania, hair pulling is a way of dealing with negative or uncomfortable feelings, such as stress, anxiety, tension, boredom, loneliness, fatigue or frustration.

Is trichotillomania in the DSM 4?

In DSM-IV-TR, trichotillomania (TTM) is classified as an impulse control disorder (not classified elsewhere), skin picking lacks its own diagnostic category (but might be diagnosed as an impulse control disorder not otherwise specified), and stereotypic movement disorder is classified as a disorder usually first ...


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Is trichotillomania a manic disorder?

Bipolar disorder falls under the category of mood disorders while trichotillomania falls under the category of Obsessive Compulsive and Related disorders.

Is trichotillomania caused by trauma?

We can conclude that trauma may play a role in development of both trichotillomania and skin picking. Increased duration of trichotillomania or skin picking was correlated with decreased presence of post-traumatic stress symptoms.

Is trichotillomania a chemical imbalance?

Similar to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), trichotillomania can be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain or changes in hormone levels.


What happens in the brain with trichotillomania?

Other imaging studies of trichotillomania reported reduced gray matter in the left inferior frontal gyrus23 and reduced cerebellar volumes. More recently, whole-brain analysis identified increased gray matter densities in the left caudate/putamen, bilateral cingulate, and right frontal cortices.

Is trichotillomania a mental illness?

Trichotillomania is a body-focused repetitive behavior classified as an impulse control disorder (along the lines of pyromania, kleptomania, and pathologic gambling) which involves pulling out one's hair.

Who is prone to trichotillomania?

People typically develop "trich" around age 12, and 75 percent of those who have it are female, according to research findings. Their compulsive hair pulling often results in a "thin" appearance on the scalp, says Mouton-Odum. Some people also pluck other hairy areas, such as their eyebrows, eyelashes or body hair.


Is trichotillomania related to schizophrenia?

Recurrent hair pulling resulting in hair loss, in the absence of a medical or another mental disorder is a diagnostic feature of trichotillomania. It is commonly seen in depression and many other psychiatric disorders. Trichotillomania rarely occurs as a co morbid condition in patients with schizophrenia.

What is the best medication for trichotillomania?

SSRIs and clomipramine are considered first-line in TTM. In addition, family members of TTM patients are often affected by obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders. Other drugs used in the treatment of TTM are lamotrigine, olanzapine, N-Acetylcysteine, inositol, and naltrexone.

Are you born with trichotillomania?

So, is trichotillomania inherited? Yes, it can be, but other factors also contribute to the condition. As research and studies continue, understanding of the causes of trichotillomania and other mental health disorders will increase and improve prevention and treatment options.


What is severe trichotillomania?

Trichotillomania, also known as “hair-pulling disorder,” is a type of impulse control disorder. People who have trichotillomania have an irresistible urge to pull out their hair, usually from their scalp, eyelashes, and eyebrows. They know they can do damage but often can't control the impulse.

Which are the two types of trichotillomania?

There are two types of trichotillomania. One is called automatic pulling and the other is called focused pulling.

Does trichotillomania release dopamine?

In fact, that same article cited research studies showing that hair pullers experienced a rush of dopamine, the brain's pleasure chemical.


Is trichotillomania a coping mechanism?

Hair pulling is a coping mechanism for stress, anxiety, boredom and other emotions. The behavior is often trancelike – characterized by a compulsive urge to pull out hair on the head, face or other parts of the body. It is a disorder medically known as trichotillomania.

Is there hope for trichotillomania?

TTM is treated mainly with medication and behavior therapy, including a type of cognitive behavioral training (CBT) called habit reversal training (HRT). In HRT, individuals learn to recognize when they feel like pulling their hair, and then learn how to redirect this urge.

How do you break trichotillomania?

Therapy can help people overcome trichotillomania. The most widely used type of therapy is called habit-reversal training (HRT). It's a type of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). In this therapy, people meet with a therapist to learn skills to help them reverse the hair pulling habit.


What vitamins help trichotillomania?

In addition to reducing the urge to pull, it is believed vitamin D supplementation significantly improved hair regrowth, which is often not seen after treatment with antidepressants or other medications alone. Studies have identified the use of vitamin D3 analogs to stimulate hair regrowth.

Which of the following disorders is most likely to co occur with trichotillomania?

Adults with trichotillomania have elevated rates of co-occurring disorders, most commonly depression (52% to 60%) (Christen et al., 1991; Hand et al., 1996; Houghton et al., 2016) and anxiety disorders (60%) (Hand et al., 1996).

What are 3 symptoms of trichotillomania?

A person with trichotillomania may experience the following behavioral and physical symptoms:
  • repetitive pulling of their hair, often without any awareness.
  • a sense of relief after pulling out hair.
  • inability to stop hair pulling, despite repeated attempts to stop.
  • anxiety and stress related to hair pulling.


Why is trichotillomania difficult to treat?

Because the picking and pulling actually serve a purpose. This is why the behaviors can be so difficult to stop. A number of studies have found that some individuals with BFRBs have difficulty regulating their emotions.

Is trichotillomania an addiction?

While hair pulling may be symptomatic of another mental health condition, Trichotillomania is actually considered its own disorder. People with Trichotillomania experience a strong urge to pull their hair out, and the act of hair pulling can become compulsive and addictive.