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If you pull your hair, lashes or brows you are not alone. You are
among an estimated 3-10% of the population who suffer from a condition called Trichotillomania.
This site offers information to those suffering from Trichotillomania
and their family and friends.
Trichotillomania, pronounced try-co-till-o-mania (or trich, pronounced
trick), is a little known about and often misunderstood condition. We at Trichotillomania Support Scotland aim to dispel the
myth surrounding trich and give practical help and advice to those seeking to understand this condition. Whether you have
trich yourself, know someone who does, or simply want to know more about it, you have come to the right place.
Here you will find information about the disorder and ways it can be overcome. Please visit our experiences section for personal accounts of living with trich, including
my own trich story. And you can also take a look hair pulling from the past in our History section.
Understanding Trichotillomania
Researching Trichotillomania has never been an easy task. Sufferers tend to feel
ashamed and embarrassed about their hair pulling and make a conscious decision to hide it from their friends and loved ones
for fear of being misunderstood, thought of as crazy or treated differently. In fact many people do not even realise compulsive
hair pulling is a medically recognised condition and assume they are the only ones who would do such a thing.
Luckily more and more people are becoming aware of the term Trichotillomania and
approaching their doctors for help. Doctors and researchers are now beginning to realise this condition is more common than
they once thought, with estimates put at 10% of the population suffering from trich in some form. Without people coming forward,
research into Trichotillomania would not be possible and the condition would go un-noticed, leaving millions of people worldwide
feeling isolated, depressed and unable to come to places like this to meet others with the condition.
Over the last 10 years, researchers have gained a better understanding of Trichotillomania. The one thing we know
for sure is that Trichotillomania is a complicated problem with many inputs and triggers. Sure it would be easier to say 'this
is what causes trich and this is how you treat it', but life is rarely that simple. In order to be treated successfully for
trich all inputs and triggers must be identified and dealt with. In effect a personalised treatment programme must be devised
for each individual.
Through information gathered in questionnaires and looking through message boards it is apparent that pulling happens
when we are either over stimulated (through stress, anxiety or excitement) or under stimulated (through boredom or being inactive).
One theory for this is that mechanisms responsible for balancing internal stress levels are not working properly. This is
most likely because of an underlying genetic predisposition. Serotonin, and sometimes the dopamine, systems of the brain have
been implicated as a possible source of this chemical imbalance.
There is evidence suggesting that in order to function at an optimun level, we all need a certain level of stimulation
that is neither too high nor too low. All human beings are constantly receiving stimulation to their nervous systems from
a constantly changing environment. If this stimulation is too great, it results in stress. If it is too low, it results in
boredom. In disorders such as trich, this mechanism may not be working properly so the individual is forced to try and find
a way to manage it externally. In seeking this stimulation, people tend to go to the sites where nerve endings are. Grooming
type behaviours would seem to be a likely choice when it comes to reducing or producing stimulation. Hair pulling, skin picking,
nail biking, blemish squeezing, cheek biting, etc... are only a few of the grooming-type behaviours that could be called upon
to perform this balancing function.
We know that hair pulling causes feelings of guilt and shame, but self esteem is also an important factor. Studies have
shown that the more time spent pulling, the lower the self esteem. Severity of hair loss from pulling, however, was not related
to levels of self esteem; hair pulling has an impact on self-image regardless of the actual amount of hair loss incurred.
High levels of anxiety and depression are assosiated with low self esteem, an important finding given that many individuals
with trichotillomania report feelings of depression and anxiety as a result of chronic hair pulling. A high rate of dissatisfation
with appearance unrelated to hair pulling was also found. The greater the dissatisfaction with appearance, the lower the self
esteem. A few doctors even argue that Trichotillomania, in some people, is a manifestation of BDD (Body Dismorphic Disorder).
The results of this study suggest that treatment for Trichotillomania should not focus solely on the hair pulling behaviour
itself. Issues of self esteem, depression, anxiety and dissatisfaction with appearance or body image can be significant for
individuals with Trichotillomania and should be acknowledged and addressed.
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