Trichotillomania is a medical illness, not an uncontrollable, 'crazy' habit. In 1889 French physician, Francois Henri Hallopeau saw a young male patient who had pulled out patches of his own hair. In his case report Hallopeau gave it the name trichotillomania. The word is a combination of three Greek words: trich means hair tillo means pull mania has a number of meanings including frenzy, madness, excessive activity The word mania is a rather unfortunate term. People with Trich are by no means mad or crazy. In the UK it is still relatively unheard of but it is gradually gaining greater understanding by clinicians and attracting increasing attention, particularly from the media It is a biological and behavioral override of a persons ability to control his/her own physical behaviour. Trichotillomania is officially classified as an impulse control disorder. According to the current psychiatric diagnostic manual (DSM-IV), the diagnosis of trichotillomania requires the following: Recurrent pulling of one’s hair which results in noticeable hair loss. An increasing sense of tension immediately before pulling out the hair, or when attempting to resist the behavior. Pleasure, gratification or relief when pulling out the hair. The disturbance is not better accounted for by another mental disorder and is not due to a general medical condition (e.g.. a dermatological condition) The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning. Trichotillomania belongs to a group of disorders called body focussed repetitive behaviours (BFRBs) Often, people who hair pull also experience symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder(OCD), Body Dysmorphic disorder (BDD) , skin picking or nail biting Pulling can be from the scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows, pubic hair or other areas Trichotillomania affects 2-4% of the general population, that is 1 or 2 out of every 50 people Hair pulling most commonly begins in the early teens, though it can start at a much younger or older age. It has been see in children as young as 22 months. Onset has not been see in people over the age of 60. The onset in some cases can be linked to a stressful life event eg abuse, parents divorcing, the death of a family memebr etc but this is not always the case. Hair pulling creates a short term distraction from other emotional distress such as anxiety, depression, aggression, dependency. Trichotillomania Symptoms include: A build up of tension which can only be relieved by the hair puling A pleasurable sensation as the hair is pulled. Sometimes it is done quite consciously, other times it is an unconscious thing, the person doesn't realise they are doing it People often describe the experience of pullling as being in a trance like state. It can be a response to overstimulation eg stress, excitement or a response to understimulation eg boredom, inactivity Pulling brings immediate relief and comfort but later there is anxiety, frustration, embarassment and distress There is a need to find the right hair to pull - it may be one that feels different, perhaps thicker than the others, curly or a different shade or colour Once the hair has been pulled it is often played with, rubbed between fingers, the hair bulb separated, the hair run between the lips or eaten The impact of trichotillomania on peoples lives is huge. It includes felings of shame, solation, low selfconfidence, depression, difficulty in having close, intimate relationships, not being able to participate in cerain activities like swimming, going to the hairdressers, not being able to do a certain kind of job because wearing a hat would be inappropriate. However there is a new cure out now Click Here!.