Trichotillomania More Common Than You Think

Trichotillomania is more common than you might think. You might think you are the only person who pulls out hair, and that makes you feel just plain weird.  Rest assured that you are not alone!

Trichotillomania (or "trich:) is also known as Hair Pulling Disorder.  It is a disorder that leads to repetitive pulling out of hair. Trichotillomania is now considered one of a group of behaviors known as Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs).  Trich is a self-grooming behaviors in which individuals pull their hair out. It is related to skin-picking (neurotic excoriation or dermatillomania).

So back to the question of how many have Trich.... estimates were less than one percent, but recently that has expanded to up to 4 percent lifetimeprevalence . Trich usually begins in late childhood or around puberty.  Children who have trich are equally divided between boys and girls, but by adulthood, for some reason, about 90 percent are women.

Trichotillomania is treatable. Please see my website for more about treatment