Trichotillomania, when you grab or pull

You may have unconsciously grabbed or pulled your hair when you were stressed or anxious. Or, have you witnessed someone closest to you often do this? Even though it sounds trivial, this habit is actually not good, you know. This habit, known as trichotillomania, is even classified as a psychological disorder. Come on, find out more in the following review.

What is trichotillomania?

Trichotillomania is a psychological condition that causes a person to pull out hair on his body, such as hair on the scalp, eyebrows and eyelashes. Trichotillomania is characterized by an unconscious and uncontrollable urgent need to perform the behavior repeatedly.

The desire to pull out this hair is generally triggered by the stress, anxiety, and anxiety experienced by the person. People who have trichotillomania feel they have to pull their hair repeatedly, or else something bad will happen. This compulsive behavior is a "therapy" for them to reduce anxiety and stress due to the obsession. After pulling out their hair, they will feel relieved.

Trichotillomania can damage hair and cause baldness from too much pulling. This condition also creates negative feelings, such as shame and guilt. Some people with trichotillomania also experience depression or anxiety.

What causes trichotillomania?

The exact cause of trichotillomania is not well known. However, this condition is thought to be related to abnormalities in the nerve pathways in the brain that regulate emotions, movement, habit formation, and self-control of certain impulses.

In addition, it is suspected that trichotillomania is related to changes in hormone levels. The reason is, this case often occurs in adolescents who are going through puberty. In addition, this condition may also be related to low serotonin levels.

Recognizing the symptoms of trichotillomania

Pay attention to the common symptoms you may experience if you have this psychological condition.

• Feeling very stressed and tense before pulling hair or trying to resist the urge to pull hair.
• Feeling relieved, satisfied, or happy after pulling the hair.
• Frequent checking of hair roots, twirling hair, pulling hair with teeth, chewing hair, and eating hair (tricophagia).
• There is a bald part on the head or other parts such as eyebrows.
• Having distractions or problems at work, school, or in social situations related to frequent hair pulling.
• Hair is irregular, there are parts that are shorter, thinner, bald, or on the eyebrows there are parts that are thinning, or there are lashes that have been pulled out so that it is different between the right and left lashes.

Can this condition be cured?

Just like other mental disorders, compulsive behavior from trichotolomania can be treated and reversed with proper medical treatment. For example, with psychotherapy, counseling, and drugs prescribed by doctors. In some cases, the administration of an antidepressant drug type Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) is effective enough to work.

Medical treatment outside of psychotherapy and home therapy can also be recommended by doctors to treat hair loss or correct the baldness caused by this "habit" of pulling hair.

If you suspect you have this condition, it's a good idea to consult a doctor immediately to find the right treatment for your condition.