Trichotillomania Blog

More people struggle with hair pulling than previously thought

New research released this month about the prevalence of body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) suggests that these disorders are more common than previous research stated.

Prevalence? What’s prevalence?

Prevalence is a term used in epidemiology to describe a proportion of a population that has a condition. Mostly, it refers to the commonality of something. The numbers usually represent a fraction of a percentage of cases per 100,000 people but are specific to a given period.

While prevalence often suggests that the percentage provided is a real number, it is based on a sample population. Sample populations are smaller versions of the entire population which mean that even if there is the prevalence of 10% indicated for a condition, it does not mean that 10% of people have it. Instead, it means 10% of a sample population has it which implies that percentage reflects the general population.

Oct 27, 2018 By Read more...

Cara's Trich Backstory

The Backstory is a U.K.-based documentary podcast series created by Claire Mutimer and Suzy Coulson to share stories that shape who people are. 

In early October, they shared the story of Cara Ward, author of Every Trich in the Book, and her journey with trichotillomania. 

Listen to the podcast. 

Read about Cara.

Oct 26, 2018 By Read more...

TLC Foundation Annual Conference Call for Presenters

The 26th Annual Conference on BFRBs will be held May 2-5, 2019, in Chantilly, VA.

The Annual Conference on Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors brings together people of all ages affected by BFRBs and their families, treatment providers, researchers, and salon and service providers for a "life-changing" weekend of education and community.

They specifically seek workshops that:

Oct 26, 2018 By Read more...

Disabling impairment: What does the research say?

People with trichotillomania experience multiple levels of psychosocial dysfunction, exacerbated by the visible nature of the condition. When hairpulling compulsions increase in severity, it means noticeable hair loss. People see that. They comment. They ask questions.

A study conducted in 2016 through the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Chicago looked at the levels of dysfunction that people with trichotillomania and excoriation disorder experience. While the disabling nature of each condition is recognized by researchers and those who live with the disorders, this study sought to quantify levels of impairment and compare them with symptom severity to see if there was anything to learn.

Sep 26, 2018 By Read more...

Diagnosis: How it’s done and why it’s relevant

Still a misunderstood condition, research is providing more ways for clinicians to diagnose trichotillomania and its subtypes accurately. However, many negative connotations the word “diagnosis” has, there are benefits to diagnostic accuracy for people with trichotillomania.

Diagnosis is…

Therapists have mixed feelings about the diagnostic process. Some believe it is essential and imperative for accurate treatment while others look at it as a means to facilitate treatment but not as important as what the client experiences. Some will require a client to participate in multiple types of assessments and tests to get the diagnosis right, while others will only rely on client self-report and then pick an appropriate label out of the DSM-5. Regardless of one’s therapeutic perspective, an accurate diagnosis is key to selecting evidence-based treatments for clients. For people with trichotillomania, diagnosis can be even more important due to the prevalence of misdiagnosis which does not help clients at all.

Sep 26, 2018 By Read more...

New Research: Motivation underlying hair-pulling behavior conceptualized

There are multiple theories about what contributes to compulsive hair-pulling disorder. The cause remains unknown, however, theories regarding the motivations for the behavior help scientists target research endeavors. One theory at the forefront of research is the reinforcement sensitivity theory. This article will explain the concepts of this theory and how research suggests it applies to trichotillomania.

Aug 31, 2018 By Read more...

TABS Study - Trichotillomania and other BFRBs Sequencing Study

A study is being done in Yale School of Medicine, which aims to understand the relationship between genes and BFRBs.

Description for Potential Research Participants:

You are invited to be part of a study of people with body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) and related disorders. The purpose of this research is to understand the relationship between genes and these disorders. Our study is being done in part to try to find out why some members of your family are affected with BFRBs and others are not. Therefore, unaffected members of your family are important to this study. Eventually, we hope that this research will enable us to identify a genetic factor or factors that cause certain individuals to have BFRBs.

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Jul 27, 2018 By Read more...

Guest Post: The ‘pull’ to write - By Cara Ward

Since I started writing five years ago I have found myself not only doing it because I want to, but because I have to. Writing got me through one of the hardest periods of my life; when I suffered from red skin syndrome, a condition brought on from the use of topical steroids and was also there when I made a full recovery, so in my battle to overcome trichotillomania, writing has naturally played a huge part in my journey.

Jun 27, 2018 By Read more...

New Research: Can computers be used to help children with trichotillomania?

Trichotillomania (trich) is a mental health disorder where a person repeatedly and recurrently pulls out their hair which causes hair loss and significant physical and psychological impairment. The disorder’s symptoms usually show up between 9 and 13 years of age, coinciding with the onset of puberty. Not much is known about the cause of the disorder, but research using brain imaging has provided evidence that trichotillomania results from impairment in response inhibition. Primarily, a person experiences an urge to pull their hair, but they cannot resist the urge or stop the behavior even when the response is inappropriate. Some research shows that the part of the brain that tells the body to stop a movement is impaired in people with trich.

May 25, 2018 By Read more...

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