A recent MailOnline article described the story of Eden Cahill, a 15-year-old teenager with trichotillomania, who shaved her whole head to beat the urge to pull. Eden suffered through most of her childhood with trichotillomania causing her to have large bald patches that she tried to hide by wearing thick headbands and hats at all times. Eden also used to hide in the school bathrooms for fear of ridicule. However as a teenager Eden decided to tackle her trichotillomania head on. Inspired by Sam Faiers, a star from the popular British reality show 'The Only Way is Essex', who revealed in 2012 that she was afflicted by this condition too;

Trichotillomania or compulsive hair pulling disorder was the first of the body-focussed repetitive behaviours (BFRBs) to be recognized as a clinical condition by the American psychiatric Association(APA) in 1987, when it was included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM). Prior to the latest revision of the DSM, trichotillomania was classified in the DSM-IV-TR as an impulse control disorder (not elsewhere classified) along with four other impulse control disorders namely: kleptomania, pyromania, intermittent explosive disorder, and pathological gambling. However in 2013 trichotillomania was moved to be classified under obsessive compulsive related disorders in the DSM5.

Pulling out one's nose hairs in not an uncommon practice and is in fact a acceptable grooming practice, particularly among men. However, what happens when the act of pulling at a nose hair goes beyond being motivated by aesthetics and the person finds themselves compulsively pulling the nose hairs throughout the day? This could be a form of trichotillomania. Trichotillomania is characterised by feelings of an overwhelming urge to pull at hairs on the body. The site for pulling varies from person to person, commonly the scalp, the arms and legs or the face. Compulsive hair pulling can be so severe that it causes balding or hair thinning. Although not as common as other sites for pulling, plucking nose hairs can also be a focus area for some people.

Trichotillomania is often a misunderstood mental health condition. This is because many people are too embarrassed to seek professional opinion about something they assume to be just a bad habit. Fortunately, thanks to the awareness raising efforts of organisations such as the Trichotillomania Leaning Centre (TLC), the disorder has recently enjoyed increased attention from the medical and research fraternity. More and more research studies are being conducted to understand the causes and effects of the disorder and to develop treatement options. Hence it is important to contribute to the studies by becoming a participant and sharing your experience of trichotillomania.