Trichotillomania, which is also referred to as "hair pulling" is a psychological disorder that causes a person to suffer from the intense urge to pull out his or her hair. Individuals with this condition usually remove hair from their eyelashes, eyebrows, and scalp. A major trigger for hair pulling usually involves extremely stressful situations in which people experience great anxiety, and pulling their hair is a way to relieve the stress.
Signs and Symptoms
There are no specific tests or procedures to diagnose trichotillomania. It is diagnosed simply by observing the unmistakable signs of this condition. Signs and symptoms of hair pulling include repeatedly pulling hair in response to stress and anxiety, bare spots, as well as strange behavior involving the inspection of and playing with hair. Twisting and chewing on hair is also another symptoms of this disorder.
Scheduling an Examination
If you believe that you may suffer from trichotillomania, you need to be properly diagnosed before treatment can begin. You might first want to see your primary care physician, who will likely refer you to either a psychiatrist or psychologist, because this condition often accompanies anxiety and depression.
The psychiatrist or psychologist can help you get to the root cause of your anxiety and stress, hopefully enabling you to refrain from hair pulling. You might be treated with therapy, medication, or a combination of them both. He or she might even attempt habit-reversal therapy, which will help you to acquire a healthy, new habit to replace your hair-pulling habit. This form of treatment has been quite successful in the past.
Life After Diagnosis
If you are ultimately diagnosed with trichotillomania, then there is no reason to be embarrassed or feel as if you can't be helped. As long as you're willing to work hard at recovering by doing whatever your doctor tells you to, then you should be able to recover and live a normal life.
There is no cure for hair pulling, but if you can find effective ways to relieve your stress, take any medication that may be prescribed, and attend all your therapy sessions, there is no reason that you can't overcome this disorder. And the good thing about hair is that it grows back. If you're interested, there are some natural treatment methods that you can practice at home that can compliment the treatment prescribed by your doctor. Meditation and yoga can work wonders at alleviating chronic anxiety and stress, and once the anxiety disappears, so should the strong urge to pull out your hair as well.
You may always feel the urge to pull out your hair, especially when you are particularly stressed, but by learning some effective new coping mechanisms, you can learn to effectively control those urges instead of allowing the condition to control you.
