Trichotillomania is known as a hair-pulling disorder. This means that an individual feels the urge to pull out their hair, whether from their scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows, armpit hair, pubic hair, or beards. This behavior is seen to be relieving to those who indulge in it, yet in the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder), this criterion has been removed. This act usually occurs when the individual is alone and tends to occur several hours consecutively a day, or even throughout different intervals.
Recent studies show that there are two ways of hair pulling that occur: automatic and focused. Automatic hair pulling occurs almost unconsciously, when the person does not even realize they are doing it. Whereas with focused hair pulling, the person would be aware of their actions, but doing it anyway to relieve stress or to feel pleasure. Trichotillomania can occur incessantly and chronically and may even disappear at times for a couple of months, then resurface. Initially, there may be a sort of tingling or irritation in the areas where the hair pulling occurs, but with time, individuals do not experience pain due to it becoming routine.
Why it Occurs and its Effects
The exact causes of trichotillomania are not well understood. Research findings have concluded that individuals are at a higher risk of gaining trichotillomania if they have a relative with the same disorder and if they have anxiety disorders or other body focused repetitive behaviors. So, anxiety is associated with trichotillomania, in addition to depression, attention-deficit hyperactivity-disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Some early work had also associated childhood trauma with the development of this disorder, but there is not substantial evidence to support this suggestion.
The effects of trichotillomania are numerous. For one, you begin losing hair. A second is the shame, low self-confidence, feelings of embarrassment, and unattractiveness also arise. People with the disorder also often tend to avoid social settings due to their physical appearance.