{"id":119660,"date":"2020-07-02T11:00:15","date_gmt":"2020-07-02T10:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/?p=119660"},"modified":"2023-03-08T11:53:08","modified_gmt":"2023-03-08T11:53:08","slug":"what-is-trichotillomania","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.harleytherapy.co.uk\/counselling\/what-is-trichotillomania.htm","title":{"rendered":"What is Trichotillomania? Why Hair Pulling is Serious"},"content":{"rendered":"
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photo Vitalicecila<\/p><\/div>\n

by Andrea M. Darcy<\/span><\/p>\n

We joke “I’m pulling my hair out”<\/strong> when we’re stressed<\/a>. But hair pulling is actually a real and even dangerous habit for some people, referred to as ‘trichotillomania’.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is trichotillomania?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Trichotillomania, or \u201ctrich\u201d, for short, is a long-term mental health disorder where you can\u2019t stop yourself from pulling out your hair.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Also referred to as ‘hair pulling disorder’, it usually involves pulling out the hair on your<\/strong> head or your eyebrows and lashes, to the extent you have visible hair loss like a bald patch. But it can also be other forms of hair you are into pulling, including arm and leg hair, your beard or moustache, or even pubic hair. <\/span><\/p>\n

Some people also have post-pulling rituals.<\/strong> This could be rubbing the hair, discarding of it in a special way, or even eating it. <\/span><\/p>\n

What type of person has trichotillomania? <\/span><\/h2>\n

It most commonly begins in adolescents aged 10 to 13<\/strong> and has been connected to going through puberty. <\/span><\/p>\n

But it is also found<\/strong> in younger children, as well as adults who have been through a stressful experience<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Females are ten times more likely<\/strong> to have this issue than males.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why is hair pulling a big deal?<\/h2>\n

Very young children might<\/strong> hair pull briefly and then stop. Or you might find you do it very rarely and it’s manageable. You can work your way through it with distractions, or by telling someone about the urge.<\/p>\n

But if hair pulling is a constant habit\u00a0<\/strong> and affects your appearance<\/strong>, it can cause low self-esteem<\/a> and shame<\/a>, which affects things like your relationships<\/a>, career<\/a>, or school life<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

There can also be serious physical side effects to trichotillomania.<\/strong> You can suffer infections in the long term, and even things like carpal tunnel syndrome.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s particularly urgent if the hair is being eaten, which can lead to<\/strong> stomach problems, and in rare cases where a hair ball extends into the intestines, death.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why can\u2019t I stop pulling out my hair?<\/span><\/h2>\n
\"trichotillomania\"<\/a>

By: Randen Pederson<\/p><\/div>\n

For a long time it was assumed that everyone with trichotillomania <\/strong>did it because of an uncontrollable urge. The idea was that the urge made you tense<\/a> and uncomfortable, so you pulled to feel relief, like a sort of addiction<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While for some people this is the case, it’s certainly not the way it works for all sufferers.<\/em><\/p>\n

‘Automatic pulling’\u00a0<\/strong>sees you not even realise you are pulling out your hair. It’s unconscious, like a form of self-soothing.<\/p>\n

‘Focused pulling’\u00a0<\/strong>means you consciously pull out your hair to deal with stress<\/a> and anxiety or other difficult emotions. Or even boredom<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sometimes trichotillomania is<\/strong> a form of self-harm. You seek the release of physical pain to escape emotional pain.<\/p>\n

Or it can be <\/strong>connected to obsessive compulsive disorder <\/a>(OCD) or body dysmorphic disorder<\/a>. You can have\u00a0<\/strong>obsessive thoughts about the way certain hairs look. Perhaps you don’t like their colour, or have a feeling they are not lined up right or symmetrical enough.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Related issues and disorders<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you have trichotillomania, you might also have other related habits<\/strong>, such as skin picking, nail biting, lip chewing, or thumb sucking. <\/span><\/p>\n

And it\u2019s related to other mental health problems like:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n