Hair Loss - Trichotillomania

Trichotillomania is the compulsive urge to pull out the hair in different parts of the body. It usually appears in those at the beginning of puberty and who are in stressful environments. The majority of those afflicted are thought to be female.

This condition, which can result in bald patches throughout the scalp, has an uncertain classification. It has been called an obsessive-compulsive disorder, an addiction, a tic, a habit and an impulse control disorder. There is some evidence that there is a genetic component to this disorder but that is not yet certain. Dell notebook battery

Though most of those with this condition are pubescent girls, it can affect people of any age and sex. There are those who think that males suffer from this more than is realized, but that they are reluctant to reveal having this problem. You know that you have trichotillomania if you have a persistently strong urge to pull on your hair, and have accumulated a variety of spots with missing hair that you attempt to hide.

There are treatments, though no cure, used to treat this disorder. Drugs such as Prozac have been shown to be effective for some, but not all, sufferers. Their effectiveness varies widely from patient to patient. In some people, the urge to pull hair is diminished completely, for others there is no effect at all, and for some, there is a reduced tendency.

For some people, joining a support group has a positive effect on their problem. Just knowing that they are not the only ones with it, and being able to share experiences and support helps a great deal. These groups can be found throughout the U.S. and range from peer run groups to those that are professionally run.

There is professional counseling help available for trichotillomania sufferers that seek to change the hair pulling behavior of those with this problem. The situations that trigger hair pulling are identified and behaviors are introduced to alter the responses to these triggers. There are not a lot of therapists who are that knowledgeable about trichotillomania though - so it may be difficult to find one in a particular area.

This can be a difficult condition to remedy, but there are means available to do so. With some persistence, it's possible to overcome it. So even if there are not immediate results, the person suffering from this should not give up but continue to pursue effective treatment.