Trichotillomania - Signs, Symptoms and Treatment Options

Trichotillomania (trik-o-til-o-MAY-ne-uh) is an irresistible urge to pull out hair from your scalp, eyebrows or other areas of your body. Pulling hair out of the scalp leaves patchy bald spots. 

Hair is associated with beauty so trichotillomania can be very emotionally painful for people with the disorder.

Trichotillomania may be mild for some and usually manageable. The urge to pull hair for others can be overwhelming. Some treatment options have helped many people reduce their hair pulling or stop all together.

My eight-year-old daughter was diagnosed with Trichotillomania about a year ago.  She started pulling out her eye lashes three years ago and now she pulls her eyebrows and hairs on her arms and legs. But there is hope for Trichotillomania sufferers like my daughter.


 Help For Trichotillomania

Trichotillomania is a relatively new disorder and wasn't recognized until the late 1980's. However, help is available for people with the disorder.



How to Treat Trichotillomania

Trichotillomania can be treated in two different ways. It can be treated through Psychotherapy and medications. Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) has been proven to be an effective treatment for trichotillomania. This therapy teaches the patient how to be more aware of the hair pulling and learn how to reverse the habit. The psychologist will also point out what emotions and triggers are involved in hair pulling and how to substitute other behaviors instead.

Trichotillomania can also be treated with medications. Antidepressants are commonly used to treat the disorder, however, they are not effective unless combined with cognitive behavior therapy.

Tricotillomania and Autism

Trichotillomania is also an obsessive compulsive disorder and can be a common disorder among autistic children. More children are diagnosed with the hair pulling disorder than adults.

If you believe that you or your child has trichotillomania discuss the symptoms with your doctor right away.














About Our Founder

Cascia Talbert is a busy blogger,  and mother of five children, living in Spokane, WA. With a B.A. in history and law and a passion for writing and staying healthy, she started The Healthy Moms Magazine in 2007. The Healthy Moms Magazine is currently ranked the top health blog for moms. Ms. Talbert believes that if mothers are well educated on health issues and how to stay healthy, they can pass that information down to their children and reverse the childhood obesity statistics in the U.S.

Ms. Talbert  runs the Healthy Moms Social Network on Ning, is the founder of Healthy Moms Media, and also blogs at talbertzoo.com. You can follow her on facebook.com/TheHealthyMomsMag, and twitter.com/cltalbert.

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