Trichotillomania Case Studies
Overview
Trichotillomania is a kind of impulse control disorder in which a person experiences an irresistible compulsion to pull out all of their body hair. Most commonly, patients will begin to tear at their scalp, eyebrows, and eyelashes. People with this condition understand that they can harm themselves by acting on these urges, and yet they are unable to stop themselves. Many will deny that they have a problem and might try to hide hair loss by wearing scarves, hats, and false eyebrows and eyelashes.
It is not known what causes trichotillomania. However, some experts believe it could be related to abnormalities within the brain pathways linking areas that are involved with movement, emotional regulation, impulse control, and habit formation.
Trichotillomania is a kind of impulse control disorder in which a person experiences an irresistible compulsion to pull out all of their body hair. Most commonly, patients will begin to tear at their scalp, eyebrows, and eyelashes. People with this condition understand that they can harm themselves by acting on these urges, and yet they are unable to stop themselves. Many will deny that they have a problem and might try to hide hair loss by wearing scarves, hats, and false eyebrows and eyelashes.
It is not known what causes trichotillomania. However, some experts believe it could be related to abnormalities within the brain pathways linking areas that are involved with movement, emotional regulation, impulse control, and habit formation.