The teenage years are an emotionally tumultuous time in anyone’s life across all cultures. In psychology the development of a healthy ego is fundamental to healthy functioning in society. According to one of the pioneers in psychological theory, Erik Erikson, the ego develops as it successfully resolves crises that are distinctly social in nature. The teen years is when we transition between childhood and adulthood and is therefore a very important stage in our development. According to Erikson, the primary task in adolscence is resolving the internal conflict known as identity versus role confusion. In trying to establish an identity teenagers are more susceptible to peer pressure and social norms, and are therefore more vulnerable to the negative messaging we are bombarded with in the media on a daily basis.

The Trichotillomania Learning Centre (TLC) has always been at the forefront of research in the field of body focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) such as trichotillomania. And they continue to make strides in buidling awareness and upskilling health professionals across the globe to better serve those who suffer from these debilitating conditions. One of the ways in which they do so is to facilitate the matching of volunteers with the relevant research studies in the field. If you are keen to play your part in the advancement of understanding and the development of effective treatments for trichotillomania then you should visit the TLC website where there are regular updates of new research being conducted worldwide. Here is a roundup of the online surveys currently underway that you could potentially contribute to:

Although cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most effective treatment for the sustainable management of compulsive hair pulling, other mechanisms such as change in diet or medication have also been found to be effective when used in conjunction with CBT. CBT is not a quick fix and when you are dealing with a tormenting condition, be it physical or psychological, it is natural to desire immediate results. Research in the pharmaceutical industry has made huge progress in many different fields, providing immediate from a variety of conditions that people struggled with for years. However in the field of body focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) there has not been any dramatic advances in terms of the treatment of conditions such as trichotillomania. Possibly part of the reason is that BFRBs in themselves are still poorly understood.

Everybody’s triggers for hair pulling are different. Some people pull their hair habitually without realising it when they are engaged in passive activity, others consciously pull their hair to relieve a sense of tension. Whatever your reasons for pulling, it is important to develop an awareness of these triggers as it enables you to act proactively to prevent or minimise the urges to pull rather than be reactive trying to resist the urge to pull.