What is Psychology?

Answers to Your Psychology Questions

  • Disorders & Syndromes
  • Mental Health
  • Definitions
  • Love & Relationship
  • Experimental Psychology
  • Child Psychology

Trichotillomania: Causes and Symptoms

What are trichotillomania causes and symptoms? Trichotillomania is classified as an impulse control disorder that is characterized by an uncontrollable urge to pull out hair. In severe cases, a person with trichotillomania will suffer significant hair loss, but although the patient is fully aware of the damage they are causing to themselves, they are unable to stop the habit.

As a BetterHelp affiliate, we may receive compensation if you purchase products or services through the links provided. This is done at no additional cost to you, and supports our work.

Find the right therapist for you

With over 25,000 licensed therapists, BetterHelp has one that fits your needs.
Therapists on BetterHelp are licensed, trained, experienced, and accredited psychologists (PhD / PsyD), licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFT), licensed clinical social workers (LCSW / LMSW), or licensed professional therapists (LPC).

Trichotillomania causes and symptoms

The trichotillomania causes are not fully understood, but researchers believe that those suffering from impulse control disorders, including trichotillomania, have an imbalance in their brain chemistry. This imbalance is specifically centered in the neurotransmitters that act as messengers between nerve cells in the brain, and when things go awry, the affected person can start to act in an impulsive or self-destructive manner.

However, the cause of trichotillomania is far more complicated than a chemical imbalance in the brain and although this might be the root of the problem, other factors are at play. Further research into the condition has indicated that certain environmental conditions can trigger trichotillomania. Stress is a common cause of trichotillomania, but being diagnosed with other anxiety disorders such as depression can also be a risk factor. There is also known to be a genetic link in cases of trichotillomania and having a relative with the disorder means your risk of developing trichotillomania is slightly higher than that of the general population.

How to Recognize Trichotillomania?

A person with trichotillomania is controlled by the impulse to pull out hair. This is very often the hair on the person’s head, but it can also affect hair on the body, including eyelashes, eyebrows, pubic hair, and underarm hair. Basically, any area on the body where hair grows is vulnerable to the hair-pulling urge of a person is afflicted with trichotillomania.

When the disorder is severe, strange patterns of hair loss are the most obvious symptom of trichotillomania. Unlike normal patterns of baldness, hair loss as a result of trichotillomania will cause bald patches on the side or front of the scalp, and in order to hide the hair loss, a person with trichotillomania will go to great lengths to cover up their bald patches.

As well as the physical symptoms, the patient is likely to show psychological symptoms of trichotillomania. Since trichotillomania is very often triggered by stress and anxiety, these symptoms will worsen and the patient may become depressed, suffer from low self-esteem, and withdraw from friends and family. Patients suffering from trichotillomania often have mental disorders such as anorexia or bulimia, and personality disorders: trichotillomania can be linked to the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

In some cases of trichotillomania, the patient chews and swallows the hair they pull out, which can lead to further problems. The practice of eating hair is referred to as trichophagia, and as often occurs with cats, ingesting large amounts of hair causes hairballs (trichobezoars) to form in the stomach and digestive system. This will lead to sickness and vomiting, digestive problems, and if left untreated, bleeding inside the stomach.

Related Articles:

  1. What are the Symptoms of Arachnophobia? Arachnophobia is an irrational fear of spiders (although being scared of black hairy eight-legged things that scuttle across the floor at night is pretty sensible in my book!). So why are some people afflicted with this common phobia? And what are the symptoms of arachnophobia? Arachnophobia is a very common...
  2. How to Stop Pulling Out Eyelashes? Pulling out eyelashes is a symptom of trichotillomania, an impulse control disorder. The condition is more common that many people realize and is particularly prevalent in teenagers and young adults: around four people out of every one hundred will develop the condition. Trichotillomania sufferers pull out hair from their body....
  3. Does Your Hair Grow Back With Trichotillomania? Does your hair grow back with trichotillomania? Hair loss is a very distressing condition, but if the hair loss is related to a mental health problem whereby the sufferer is compulsively pulling his or her own hair out, it can be even more distressing. For most people, the link between...
  4. What is Trichotillomania? Trichotillomania is an impulse control disorder whereby the patient suffers from a compulsive urge to pull their own hair out. Trichotillomania is not just confined to hair on the head—patients will also pull out eyelashes, eyebrows, and any other hair on the body, all of which leads to irregular bald...
  5. What is an Obsessive Cleaning Disorder ? Obsessive cleaning disorder is one of several sub-categories of obsessive-compulsive disorder where the patient has an obsessive compulsion to clean or wash the house or specific objects. What is an obsessive-compulsive disorder? Most of us have little rituals we perform. They might be simple things such as checking the door...

Filed Under: Fear & Anxiety

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

Topics

  • Disorders & Syndromes
  • Drugs & Addiction
  • Mental Health
    • Fear & Anxiety
  • Neuroscience
    • Attention & Concentration
    • Memory
    • Neuroscience
  • Psychology
    • Animals
    • Behavior
    • Child Psychology
    • Definitions
    • Education
    • Experimental Psychology
    • Famous Psychologists
    • Gender Difference
    • Language & Communication
    • Love & Relationship
    • Nutrition
    • Popular Psychology
  • Therapy

Recent Posts

What is Alzheimer’s Disease?

Why Do People Cut Themselves?

Can You Learn While You Sleep?

Is Herpes Linked to Dementia?

Stay updated on Facebook Follow WhatisPsychology on Twitter

Affiliate Links – Advertising Disclosure

If you purchase a product or service linked from this site, we may receive an "affiliate commission". We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising" and also in accordance to amazon associates programme operating agreement.

Amazon
The owner of this website is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Copyright © · What is Psychology? · Privacy Policy · About · Archives · Contact us