Many headlines talk about mental health awareness month with tips, tricks, gimmicks, and celebrations of recovery. These are all wonderful, but I invite you to consider giving yourself the gift of acceptance.

Problems consume

Our brains are hardwired to focus on the negative, which translates into undue attention paid to whatever problem we encounter. This problem could be health, life, or mental health related, the brain is not picky, but the problem tends to become the focus of our thoughts and feelings until it feels like our whole world experience centers on the issue. People who struggle with trichotillomania tend to focus on the problem of hair pulling, and when they are not focused on the problem, they are focused on hiding the problem or fearing that others will notice the problem causing more difficulties of embarrassment and shame for them. The problem then consumes the person’s life, and all one can see is the problem which often leads to the problem becoming central to one’s identity. You feel most that which becomes your point of focus.

No matter which way you look at it trich is a complex disorder. While scientists produce evidence that it is a disorder of compulsion and impulse control, others suggest it is closer to a tic disorder. Since information about the mechanisms that cause trich are important for developing successful treatment strategies, researchers continue to look into genetic, neurological, behavioral, and environmental factors that influence hair pulling behaviors. Thus far, the most effective treatments tend to be psychotherapy with an emphasis on habit reversal and cognitive behavioral therapies. Research lends insight about the role of thoughts and beliefs on hair pulling behaviors which may help therapists and client navigate recovery, and this article will summarize a study conducted in 2015 that identified belief categories.  

Treatments for trichotillomania yield mixed results, but does that mean they work or they don’t? A recent study sought to answer that very question.

Research About Research

Multiple studies continue to measure the effectiveness of treatments ranging from pharmaceuticals to therapy. Sometimes the press releases will announce something works, while others report “mixed results.” Let’s take a few moments to demystify the ambiguity of “treatment response.”

In simple terms, treatment response is a measurement used by clinicians and researchers to determine if an intervention works. There are statistics involved, and some of them get pretty complicated. The challenge with results and treatment responses is that an intervention can work yet not yield enough of a treatment response to be called effective. Also, there are many definitions of effective, not to mention the difference in the types of people for which an intervention is effective.

A report published in the Anatolian Journal of Psychiatry in October 2018, presented a case of trichotillomania that manifested during posttraumatic stress disorder suggesting a possible genetic link between the two.

The patient came to the attention of researchers when he presented to an emergency psychiatric clinic for anxiety, depression, irritability, aggression, and pulling out his hair from various parts of his body. At 20 years old, this young man never showed signs of previous trichotillomania or mental illness. However, his best friend died in a car accident the previous year and viewing his friend's damaged body contributed to the development of PTSD. His anxiety, nightmares, emotional stress and hair pulling all started after viewing his deceased friend.