Still Learning

I've recently been lucky enough to do a few assignments for different courses using the topic of trichotillomania. While doing this, I've been able to find a little more information to help me understand what it is I'm dealing with.

For example, I learned that a condition called alopecia, or alopecia areata, is often tied with having trichotillomania. Alopecia is the absence of hair on the body in an area where hair would normally grow. Alopecia is also described as baldness. It is an autoimmune disorder where the immune system attacks a person's hair follicles. There are some instances of trichotillomania that leads to alopecia where a person's hair begin to grow back after a year or so, but it's also pretty common for the baldness to be permanent.

Trichotillomania is also frequently mistaken for OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). Trich is compulsion disorder, but it is not the same as OCD. However, these two conditions can co-exist within a person.

It has been estimated that roughly 2% of the general population of Americans have trichotillomania, and many of them have no idea what it is.

Childhood trauma, high stress levels, and neurochemical imbalances have been discovered to be some of the top causes of reported trich cases.

The top treatments for trichotillomania thus far are just general behavioral therapy, psychotherapy, and emotional support.