Why does my daughter keep pulling her hair out?

In young children, hair pulling will often come and go. In some kids, it disappears altogether, and in others it comes back over time, usually when there's an increase in sedentary activity, such as school. Stress, frustration, or peer problems can all exacerbate the problem. For some, it becomes a lifelong struggle.

How do you get my daughter to stop pulling out her hair?

Your young child can benefit immensely from fiddle and fidget toys to distract them from indulging in pulling out their hair as it keeps their hands busy. A hair net or cap to sleep in can help those who normally pull when tired or sleepy, as long as you provide another soothing object such as a wooly toy or object.

Why would a little girl pull her hair out?

So we might think of it as a sensory stimulation or a self-stimulation behavior. The last area to be considered is to develop a reward system. This helps to create motivation. Children pull their hair because it feels good to them.

Do kids outgrow trichotillomania?

Baby Trich may be a self-limiting behavior that some babies and toddlers will grow out of, while others may not. It's a self-soothing behavior that functions much like thumb sucking does for a young child.

Is it normal for kids to have trichotillomania?

Trichotillomania is a mental health condition that usually begins in childhood. If you start to see signs that your child is pulling their hair out or experiencing unexplained hair loss, it's a good idea to seek advice from a doctor as soon as possible. Treatment is much more effective when started early.

My Child Is Pulling Out Their Hair! | Trichotillomania

How can I help my child with trichotillomania?

Is trichotillomania caused by trauma?

Response to trauma

Although the cause of this compulsive disorder is largely unknown, it appears that trichotillomania can be triggered by an initial trauma, thus indicating that this particular disorder is 'response' behaviour, rather than a stand-alone illness.

Why do children get trichotillomania?

The reasons for the onslaught of trichotillomania also vary. For some children, hair pulling could occur because they associate a sensation of pleasure or relief from an urge upon engaging in the act. For others, it could be triggered due to experiencing a traumatic incident.

Is trichotillomania a genetic disorder?

Scientists at Duke University Medical Center have found evidence that trichotillomania, a psychiatric disorder that causes people to compulsively pull their hair, has a basis in genetics. Trichotillomania is an impulse control disorder that affects 3 to 5 percent of the population.

Is trichotillomania a type of OCD?

Trichotillomania is on the obsessive-compulsive spectrum, which means that it shares many symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), such as compulsive counting, checking, or washing.

Can you grow out of trichotillomania?

Age. Trichotillomania usually develops just before or during the early teens — most often between the ages of 10 and 13 years — and it's often a lifelong problem. Infants also can be prone to hair pulling, but this is usually mild and goes away on its own without treatment.

What is Rapunzel syndrome?

Rapunzel syndrome is an extremely rare condition seen in adolescents or young females with psychiatric disorders consisting of a gastric trichobezoar with an extension within the small bowel. The delays in diagnosis are common since in its early stages, it is usually asymptomatic.

How do you deal with trichotillomania?

Can hair grow back after trichotillomania?

If Trichotillomania has been going on for years, it's possible that permanent baldness can occur, or dam-age to the hair follicle can lead to stunted hair growth. If a follicle has been damaged by hair pulling but not destroyed, it can take between 2-4 years to regrow a hair.

What do you do when your child pulls their hair out?

Some doctors suggest tricks that make hair pulling more difficult, like wearing band-aids around their fingers. Kids who play with their hair after pulling it can also try carrying around other small objects to play with instead, like paperclips or erasers.

Is trichotillomania a form of anxiety?

Trichotillomania, also known as hair-pulling, is an impulse control disorder. It could be caused by anxiety and stress. It can coexist with an anxiety disorder. However, psychiatrists consider it as a separate illness and not an anxiety disorder.

Are you born with trichotillomania?

Most people aren't born with trichotillomania. It's something that can develop in childhood and adolescence, and it's usually in response to some sort of trigger of anxiety or stress.

What is the best medication for trichotillomania?

SSRIs and clomipramine are considered first-line in TTM. In addition, family members of TTM patients are often affected by obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders. Other drugs used in the treatment of TTM are lamotrigine, olanzapine, N-Acetylcysteine, inositol, and naltrexone.

What should you not say to someone with trichotillomania?

Is trichotillomania caused by abuse?

Recently, a strong relationship of family chaos during childhood and trichotillomania has also been reported, in which 86% of women with trichotillomania reported a history of violence—for example, sexual assault or rape—concurrent with the onset of trichotillomania.

Is trichotillomania a PTSD?

Results of research suggest that in patients with TTM, PTSD prevalence was found to be higher than the general population but lower than psychiatric sample. It is interesting that the number of pulled hairs and duration of hair pulling are negatively correlated with the severity of comorbid PTSD in TTM patients.

Is trichotillomania a coping mechanism?

Hair pulling is a coping mechanism for stress, anxiety, boredom and other emotions. The behavior is often trancelike – characterized by a compulsive urge to pull out hair on the head, face or other parts of the body. It is a disorder medically known as trichotillomania.

Is trichotillomania an OCD or anxiety?

What is trichotillomania? Trichotillomania (often abbreviated as TTM) is a mental health disorder where a person compulsively pulls out or breaks their own hair. This condition falls under the classification of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Why does hair pulling feel good?

Experts think the urge to pull hair happens because the brain's chemical signals (called neurotransmitters) don't work properly. This creates the irresistible urges that lead people to pull their hair. Pulling the hair gives the person a feeling of relief or satisfaction.

Can you poop out a hair?

Trichobezoars, undigested accumulations of hair in the gastrointestinal tract, are the most common type of bezoars, commonly seen in patients under 30 years of age[1]. In 90% of cases, the patients are women with long hair and emotional or psychiatric disorders.