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The disorder of Hair-Pulling has become classified as an Obsessive-Compulsive Related Disorder. Individuals with hair-pulling disorder (also known as trichotillomania, derived from the Greek term for frenzied hair-pulling), repeatedly pull hair out from their scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes or other parts of their bodies. (APA, 2013, 2012). Typically, people with this disorder pull one hair at a time, usually from the scalp.
This disorder commonly occurs when stress or anxiety triggers the behavior. Some people who suffer from this disorder follow specific rituals as they pull their hair out, until the hair “feels just right.” Selecting certain types of hairs for pulling seems to be important. (Keuthen et al., 2012; Mansueto & Rogers, 2012) The stress, impairment, or embarassment caused by this behavior is often enough for the individual to try to reduce or stop the hair-pulling.
This report is not a diagnosis. We hope this information can guide you toward improving your life.
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