Trichotillomania is one of the least understood and lesser known psychological conditions affecting people today. Classified as a Body-Focused Repetitive Behavior (BFRB), it is a condition in which a person habitually and repetitively pulls out their body hair, either from the scalp, face, pubic area, or anywhere else that there is hair. It can often go undiagnosed for a long time, because people with the condition generally are extremely private about the behaviour and will deny there is a problem even when the hair loss becomes apparent. If you are concerned about yourself or someone close to you, knowing about who is most vulnerable to the condition as well as the symptoms can help you decide if further action and treatment are needed.

When inflicted with a debilitating condition such as trichotillomania, we yearn to understand why we are struggling with the behaviour, what causes it, and whether it can be prevented. It is also important to establish the cause of a condition when trying to find a cure or treatment that works. One of the major debates regarding the cause of trichotillomania is whether it is genetic.

They say that beauty is only skin deep, but in a world where aesthetics determines value and stature in life, the desire for physical perfection is rigorously sought. Media and marketing campaigns perpetuate the perception that human beings should define themselves by their physical appearance and that our propensity for success is dependent on our ability to project outward beauty. In this vain it is not unusual for people to modify aspects of their physical appearance in pursuit of such perfection. There is another saying that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, and yet people generally try to conform to the societal projection of how beauty is defined, regardless of its applicability to what is natural or what is in line with cultural preference.

Trichotillomania, or hair pulling disorder has previously been classified as an impulse control disorder. However, the most recent edition of the DSM5 now categorizes disorders such as hair pulling disorder and skin picking disorder as body-focussed repetitive behaviours (BFRBs), under the classification “Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders”.. This new classification suggests that hair pulling disorder falls under the same spectrum, but is different to obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). The question then is whether OCD and trichotillomania co-occur and if so how common it is. One study that examined the comorbidity and family genetics of childhood trichotillomania, found that the subjects had substantial psychopathology and that a history of obsessive compulsive symptoms was common.