Trichotillomania
What is it?
Trichotillomania is an impulse control disorder that include strong urges to pull out your own hair. An ICD is a type of psychological condition.
Doctors believed trichotillomania was rare. That way of thinking is now changing as experts gain more understanding of the condition and more people have come forward for help. Trichotillomania affects more girls than it does guys. Most people with trichotillomania develop it during adolescence, but it can can start in kids as young as 1 year old.
What causes Trichotillomania?
The exact cause of trichotillomania is unknown. It may be related to abnormalities in brain pathways that link areas involved in emotional regulation, movement, habit formation, and impulse control.
Some people with trichotillomania may also have depression or anxiety. Trichotillomania is slightly more likely if it runs in your family.
It is not know what causes trichotillomania but there are several theories.
Some experts think that hair pulling is a type of a diction. The more you pull hair out the more you want to keep doing it.
Ttrichotillomania may be a reflection of mental health problems. Psychological or behavioural theories suggest that hair pulling may be a way of relieving stress or anxiety.
In some cases, trichotillomania may be a form of self-harm, where you deliberate injure yourself as a way of seeking temporary relief from emotional distress.
Research into causes and treatments from trichotillomania are still in the early stages. Evidence indicated trichotillomania is a neuro-biological disorder and that genetics may play a role in its development.
Besides hair pulling, other symptoms may include:
- Feeling tense before pulling hair or when trying to resist the urge to pull hair.
- Feeling relieved, satisfied, or pleased after acting on the impulse to pull hair.
- Distress or problems in work or social life due to hair pulling.
- Bare patches where the hair has been pulled out.
- Behaviours such as inspecting the hair root, twirling the hair, pulling the hair between the teeth, chewing on hair, or eating hair.
What complications are associated with Trichotillomania?
Possible complications of trichotillomania are infection, skin damage, and permanent hair loss. The hair loss and skin damage can lead to problems with self-esteem and body image, even body dymporphia. In extreme cases, some people might avoid social situations in order to hide the hair loss or just not go out, like hikikamori.
Is Trichotillomania just a nervous habit?
Hair pulling is not purely a nervous behavior, though it is sometimes triggered by stress. The pulling of hair is just as often associated with other emotions such as boredom. The strong impulse to pull out hair exceeds the normal idea of a habit, that can be controlled through simple will power.
Body Dymorphia Disorder
What is it?
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), or body dysmorphia, is an anxiety disorder that causes sufferers to spend a lot of time worrying about their appearance and to have a distorted view of how they look.
For example, they may be convinced that a barely visible scar is a major flaw that everyone is staring at, or that their nose looks abnormal.
Having BDD does not mean the person is vain or self-obsessed.
You experience concerns about your appearance that causes you significant anxiety and have a disruptive effect on your life. You may also develop routines and habits such as looking in the mirror a lot or picking your skin, to deal with the worries you have about the way you look. These habits usually have a significant impact on your ability to carry on with your daily life.
Low confidence turning int BDD?
Almost everyone feels unhappy about the way they look at some point in their life, but these thoughts usually come and go and can be forgotten.
However, for someone with BDD, the thought of a flaw is very distressing and does not go away.
The person believes they are ugly or defective and that others perceive them in this way, despite reassurances from others about their appearance.
BDD can lead to depression and even thoughts of suicide.
Who is affected?
It is estimated that up to 1% of the UK population have BDD, although this number may be an underestimate as people with BDD often hide it from others. It affects more females than males.
BDD can affect all age groups, but usually starts in adolescence, when people are most sensitive about their appearance.
It is more common in people with a history of depression or social phobia. It often occurs alongside OCD or generalised anxiety disorder, and may also exist alongside an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia.
Typical behavious of someone ith BDD:
- Spending a long time in front of a mirror, and even avoid mirrors altogether.
- Constantly compare their looks with other people's.
- Spending a long time concealing what they believe is a defect.
- Becoming distressed by a particular area of their body.
- Feeling anxious when people are aroung
- Seeking medical treatment for the perceived defect - for example, they may have cosmetic surgery, which is unlikely to relieve their distress.
- Excessively dieting and exercising.
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