Trichotillomania is a combination of the Greek words tricho (hair), tillo (plucking) and mania (impulse) and means “hair pulling impulse”. Hair pulling disease, also known as trichotillomania, is a mental disorder that causes an irresistible desire to pull hair in repetitive episodes. In situations that cause individuals to be under intense stress, it causes the hairs on the body, especially their hair, to be plucked, plucked and to feel pleasure in the meantime.
In this psychological disorder, as long as the person resists the urge to pull and pull their hair, they remain under stress and cannot focus on other situations; When he breaks the hair strands by following this urge, his stress decreases and he feels relief. Although trichotillomania patients try to suppress their desire to pluck their hair, they cannot succeed and reach pleasure by plucking eyelashes or other body hairs at the same time without plucking hair.
Some of the main symptoms of trichotillomania are:
- Repetitive hair pulling, plucking behavior
- The tension that comes with the urge to pluck the hair
- Feeling of relief after hair removal
- constantly playing with hair (except plucking); pulling, twisting
- Hair and hair eating behavior disorder (trichophagia)
- Bald areas on the scalp
- progressive hair loss
There are 3 factors that cause trichotillomania. These:
- Stress
- Traumas
- Psychological Disorders (depression, eating disorders, insomnia, etc.) can be listed as.
In the treatment of trichotillomania, the focus is on preventing the emotions and thoughts of individuals that cause stress in daily life and keeping their stress levels under control after the events they have experienced. Drug treatments can be applied. EMDR and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy are functional treatment ways to cope with this disorder.
Hair pulling disease is a mental disorder. In cases where the patient is not treated and the necessary support is not given, trichotillomania can have serious consequences. For this reason, professional help should be sought.
Specialist Clinical Psychologist Damla KANKAYA
Psychologist Arif EREN
