Trichotillomania

Trichotillomania (TTM) is an impulse control disorder characterized by the repeated urge to pull out scalp hair, eyelashes, beard hair, nose hair, pubic hair, eyebrows or other body hair. It may be distantly related to obsessive-compulsive disorder, with which it shares some similarities. The number of reported trichotillomania sufferers has increased throughout the years, supposed by some to be thanks to a reduced stigmatism around the condition. The number of reported sufferers is currently measured at around 1% of the population. People with trich sometimes can call themselves "trichsters".

Trichotillomania has been mentioned as a disorder in very early historical records. Onset generally occurs at puberty. There is a strong stress-related component, that is, in low-stress environments some sufferers exhibit no symptoms, known as 'pulling', whatsoever.This 'pulling' often resumes upon leaving this environment.

TTM is a mental illness; however, it can be unlearned. The skin itself, or skin in which hair grows may be conditioned over a long period of time. This time can be over a persons entire lifetime causing the person to not know its origins or can arise within as little time as a year. This conditioning seems to cause the perception of pain to be changed into the pleasure that people suffer. Also there has been notice of similar behavioral patterns within a family, suggesting genetic predisposition.

Most TTM sufferers live relatively normal lives, except for having bald spots on their head, among their eyelashes, or brows. Eyelashes have been reported to grow back thinner or in much lesser amounts.

An additional danger is from the low self-esteem which comes from being shunned by peers, and the fear of socializing due to appearance.

Many clinicians classify TTM as a habitual behavior, in the same family as nail biting or compulsive skin picking and possibly hand washing. These disorders are a cross between mental disorders, such as OCD obsessive compulsive disorder because the sight or feel of a body part causes the sufferer anxiety, and physical disorders such as Stereotypic Movement Disorder because the sufferer performs repetitive movements without being bothered by or completely aware of them. Many TTM sufferers have normal work and social lives; and TTM sufferers are not any more likely to have significant personality disorders than anyone else.

While there is no cure, there are some treatments. There have been a few small and not well-controlled clinical trials of drug treatment for trichotillomania, for example using such drugs as anafranil, prozac, and lithium. There have also been anecdotal reports of vitamin therapy being successful. No one medication has been shown to have a particular advantage over any other, and drugs alone have not been shown to be particularly effective for many people. One should use care in choosing a therapist who has specific training, 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.

...More at Wikipedia 

Related Links:

• Trichotillomania Learning Center
• Mayo Clinic

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