Trichotillomania

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Trichotillomania is a psychological disorder, resulting in an individual having an overwhelming urge to pull their hair out. The individual may either intentional pull the hair out or it may be the result of unconscious behavior. Hair is pulled from the scalp, eyebrows, arms, legs, pubic area and/or any other area on the body where there is hair.

The method for pulling hair out, is typically done with the fingers, however, some individuals will use items such as tweezers, for removing the hair. The crown area of the scalp, is the primary area where individuals with trichotillomania begin pulling hair from. Over an extended period of time they will develop large bald spots on their head. In attempt to avoid additional bald spots, they will often begin pulling the hair from other parts of the body.

Signs and Symptoms

Trichotillomania typically has an onset at the age of approximately twelve or thirteen, although it could begin at much older as well as younger ages. It has also be shown that often times an extremely stressful event may have been the trigger for hair pulling to ...

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