I suddenly got intrigued if there is such a “hair pulling disorder.” Thanks to Google, I found the answer! :yipee: Although I really don’t want to put unoriginal work on my blog since it may affect my ranking but I still decided to pursue it. :93: Anyhow, this is just one time and this will be a compilation of what I have found. :67: Thanks to my best friend, Google.
This will be the compilation of what I found and the shorter version. I will provide links for the sources so in any cases you may be interested to read more and to give credits as well. :85:
Trichotillomania, which is classified as an impulse control disorder by DSM-IV, is the compulsive urge to pull out one’s own hair leading to noticeable hair loss, distress, and social or functional impairment, and in some cases one may even consume the hair. It is often chronic and difficult to treat.
Trichotillomania may be present in infants, but the peak age of onset is 9 to 13. It may be triggered by depression or stress. Due to social implications the disorder is often unreported and it is difficult to accurately predict its prevalence; the lifetime prevalence is estimated to be between 0.6% (overall) and may be as high as 1.5% (in males) to 3.4% (in females).
The name, coined by French dermatologist François Henri Hallopeau, derives from the Greek: trich- (hair), till(en) (to pull), and mania (“an abnormal love for a specific object, place, or action”).
Classification
Trichotillomania is defined as a self-induced and recurrent loss of hair. It is classified in DSM-IV as animpulse control disorder with pyromania, pathological gambling and kleptomania, and includes the criterion of an increasing sense of tension before pulling the hair and gratification or relief when pulling the hair. However, some people with trichotillomania do not endorse the inclusion of “rising tension and subsequent pleasure, gratification, or relief” as part of the criteria; because many individuals with trichotillomania may not realize they are pulling their hair, patients presenting for diagnosis may deny the criteria for tension prior to hair pulling or a sense of gratification after hair is pulled.
Trichotillomania has been hypothesized to lie on the obsessive–compulsive spectrum, which is proposed to encompass obsessive–compulsive disorder, nail biting (onychophagia) and skin picking (dermatillomania), tic disorders and eating disorders. These conditions may share clinical features, genetic contributions, and possibly treatment response; however, differences between trichotillomania and OCD are present in symptoms, neural function and cognitive profile. In the sense that it is associated with irresistible urges to perform unwanted repetitive behavior, trichotillomania is akin to some of these conditions, and rates of trichotillomania among relatives of OCD patients is higher than expected by chance. However, differences between the disorder and OCD have been noted including differing peak ages at onset, rates of comorbidity, gender differences, and neural dysfunction and cognitive profile. When it occurs in early childhood, it can be regarded as a distinct clinical entity.
Because trichotillomania can be present in multiple age groups, it is helpful in terms of prognosis and treatment to approach three distinct subgroups by age: preschool age children, preadolescents to young adults, and adults.
Trichotillomania is often not a focused act, but rather hair pulling occurs in a “trance-like” state; hence, trichotillomania is subdivided into “automatic” versus “focused” hair pulling. Children are more often in the automatic, or subconscious, subtype and may not consciously remember pulling their hair. Other individuals may have focused, or conscious, rituals associated with hair pulling, including seeking specific types of hairs to pull, pulling until the hair feels “just right”, or pulling in response to a specific sensation. Knowledge of the subtype is helpful in determining treatment strategies.
Read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichotillomania
A ‘Body Focus Disorder’
Doctors aren’t sure what causes trichotillomania. It usually starts in early adolescence. Researchers speculate that it’s caused by a grooming gene gone berserk.
Despite what it looks like, it’s not self-mutilation, it’s not triggered by trauma, and because there are no obsessive thought patterns involved, it is not considered an obsessive-compulsive disorder. Instead, trich is a “body focus disorder,” similar to severe nail biting or extreme skin picking. The condition is chronic and there is no cure.
Doctors believe, for some people, a combination of antidepressants and behavior modification can help. But for some patients, like Recob, these therapies simply do not work.
Pleasure, Pain and Shame
The relentless, uncontrollable urge to pull has a profound effect on people’s lives.
“The emotional impact is very deep. People feel very ashamed of their pulling,” says Jennifer Raikes, who suffers from a relatively mild form of trich and has made a documentary film, Bad Hair Life, about the disorder.
Filming a support group she helped form, Raikes captured a startling glimpse into the hidden world of trich.
“I can’t explain it to you, I can only show it to you,” said one woman in the group, weeping as she removed her wig.
“At various times,” Raikes said, “I pulled all my eyelashes out and most of my eyebrows. It started as a game, actually. I was pulling my eyelids away from my eyeball. It made a sucking noise. I was just playing and [an eyelash] came out. And I guess I was intrigued by that. It felt good.”
A Maddening Compulsion
“Some people get a distinctly pleasurable sensation at the moment they pull. It’s kind of a pleasurable pain,” said psychologist Fred Penzel, author of The Hair Pulling Problem: A Complete Guide to Trichotillomania.
Penzel has worked with hundreds of sufferers and says whatever pleasure is derived, is immediately replaced by regret and shame.
“I’ve heard people refer to themselves as freaks,” said Penzel. “‘I’m disgusting. Who would ever want me? Who would ever have anything to do with anybody who’s as crazy as I am?’ “
Trich sufferers are not crazy, Penzel said. But for some people, the inability to stop nearly drives them mad.
Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=123719&page=1#.TzrkZ07xpc4
I read those that I shared and simply did not copy paste the stuff. I read what I felt worth sharing.. :130: This topic got my interest. :googlyeyes: And I can assure you that I have read the articles and the links I gave can help you learn more about “Trichotillomania”. Google can also help. I have read a lot of articles about this through Google. Hope I was able to help you through my compilation and links!
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