Is it normal for a child to pull their hair out?
It is common for children and adolescents to play with their hair. However, frequent or obsessive hair pulling can lead to serious problems. The medical term for severe hair pulling is trichotillomania. People with trichotillomania pull hair on various parts of their bodies, including the scalp, face, arms, legs and pubic areas.
When does hair pulling start later in life?
When the hair pulling starts later in life, in the preteen or teen years, it can be more persistent and last into adulthood. People with trichotillomania will pull out head hair, but they will also pull out eyelashes, eyebrows, and/or hair on other parts of the body, such as the underarm, pubic, chin, chest or leg areas.
What should I do if my teen has patches of hair missing?
If your teen has patches of hair missing, your pediatrician or family healthcare provider might be a great place to start. There are sometimes medical reasons for the missing hair, like ringworm of the scalp or traction alopecia because of tight hairstyles that pull the hair out.
Do people with trichotillomania pull out their hair?
People with trichotillomania will pull out head hair, but they will also pull out eyelashes, eyebrows, and/or hair on other parts of the body, such as the underarm, pubic, chin, chest or leg areas. The hair pulling may be unconscious or intentional.
How long does it take for trichotillomania to go away?
Trichotillomania usually develops just before or during the early teens — most often between the ages of 10 and 13 years — and it's often a lifelong problem. Infants also can be prone to hair pulling, but this is usually mild and goes away on its own without treatment. Other disorders.
Do kids outgrow trichotillomania?
Baby Trich may be a self-limiting behavior that some babies and toddlers will grow out of, while others may not. It's a self-soothing behavior that functions much like thumb sucking does for a young child.
How do you treat trichotillomania in children?
This chat inspired us to write down a few tips for parents with children with hair pulling, skin picking, nail biting or other BFRBs.Don't say “stop it” ... Don't stay in the dark! ... Don't blame your kiddo. ... Don't be preoccupied with pulling or picking. ... Don't praise the progress.
What is the most effective treatment for trichotillomania?
Psychotherapy. Research has found Habit Reversal Training, a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), to be very effective for treating trichotillomania. It is the treatment of choice for this condition.
Why do kids develop trichotillomania?
The cause of trichotillomania is not known. For some children, trichotillomania becomes damaging and very difficult to control. Hair pulling can occur anytime but may become worse in stressful situations. Most children with trichotillomania feel shame, embarrassment or guilt about their hair loss.
Why do children develop trichotillomania?
The reasons for the onslaught of trichotillomania also vary. For some children, hair pulling could occur because they associate a sensation of pleasure or relief from an urge upon engaging in the act. For others, it could be triggered due to experiencing a traumatic incident.
Is trichotillomania an anxiety disorder?
Trichotillomania, also known as hair-pulling, is an impulse control disorder. It could be caused by anxiety and stress. It can coexist with an anxiety disorder. However, psychiatrists consider it as a separate illness and not an anxiety disorder.
Is trichotillomania caused by trauma?
Response to trauma Although the cause of this compulsive disorder is largely unknown, it appears that trichotillomania can be triggered by an initial trauma, thus indicating that this particular disorder is 'response' behaviour, rather than a stand-alone illness.
Is trichotillomania a genetic disorder?
Scientists at Duke University Medical Center have found evidence that trichotillomania, a psychiatric disorder that causes people to compulsively pull their hair, has a basis in genetics. Trichotillomania is an impulse control disorder that affects 3 to 5 percent of the population.
How do therapists treat trichotillomania?
The primary psychotherapy treatment for trichotillomania is habit reversal training (HRT). HRT is a type of cognitive behavioral therapy. It was developed in the 1970s for treating repetitive behaviors such as skin picking, hair pulling, nail biting, or tics.
Can trichotillomania be cured?
There is no one way to cure or prevent trichotillomania. However, treating the underlying negative emotions may help prevent the urge to pull your hair from coming back. Reducing or relieving stress and finding outlets for it may help reduce the urge to pull your hair. You may also want to consider therapy for stress.
Do you need therapy for trichotillomania?
Types of therapy that may be helpful for trichotillomania include: Habit reversal training. This behavior therapy is the primary treatment for trichotillomania. You learn how to recognize situations where you're likely to pull your hair and how to substitute other behaviors instead.
Trivia
- Research on treatment of trichotillomania is limited. However, some treatment options have helped many people reduce their hair pulling or stop entirely.
Symptoms
Management
Treatment
- After school, Henry would sit down and watch TV, but one hour later, his mom would discover he had been pulling his eyelashes and eyebrows. It wasnt that he didnt want them, he just couldnt stop plucking them.
Scope
- Henry is challenged by trichotillomania (TTM). Individuals who experience this disorder have difficulties resisting the urge to pull out their hair. It is estimated to affect between two to four percent of the American population. Many hair pullers are not even aware they are doing it until its too late. They may zone out when they are bored or may pull their hair as a self-soothing behavi…
Facts
- TTM is a chronic illness but those being challenged by it can learn skills to manage it. Besides awareness of the action, individuals also need to become aware of their feelings, thoughts, and the situations that occur before and after pulling. Triggers are different for everyone.
Research
- Research thus far has shown that the most effective treatment for TTM and other body-focused repetitive behaviors such as tics, nail biting, and skin picking is behavioral therapy, including habit reversal training (HRT). This therapy was developed in the early 1970s by Drs. Nathan Azrin and Gregory Nunn. Treating individuals with psychological conditions is not a one size fits all situati…
Assessment
- Because TTM is a complex disorder, most clinicians have discovered that besides implementing HRT they need to add CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), DBT (dialectical behavior therapy), and ACT (acceptance and commitment therapy) components for best treatment results. For instance, Dr. Penzel, executive director of Western Suffolk Psychological Services, has added a fifth comp…
Format
- In Henrys case, he was exhibiting cognitive distortions about himself, others, and the world. He felt ashamed. Depression and anxiety had ensued. He had developed some routines that were facilitating his hair pulling. Treating him with HRT alone would not be effective.
Advantages
- Dr. Charles Mansueto, director of the Behavior Therapy Center of Greater Washington, and his colleagues have been doing extensive research for TTM treatment. They have written scientific papers and have presented their findings to various entities including the Trichotillomania Learning Center. They agree that HRT has been proven effective, but not reliable. A treatment th…