It is not uncommon for people to subconsciously play with, twirl or pull at their hair when anxious, tired or bored, nor is it uncommon for people to routinely pull out grey hairs or split ends. For many, repetitive hair pulling is just a bad habit that has no real impact on their daily lives. But for others, this practice can be so consuming that it starts to have a negative impact on day to day functioning, their social lives, and can cause significant emotional distress. In these instances, hair pulling has evolved from a bad habit into a recognized clinical disorder known as trichotillomania, or compulsive hair pulling disorder. Because of the poor awareness by the general public that such a disorder even exists, hair trichotillomania often goes undiagnosed and therefore untreated, with many sufferers suffering in silence for many years.
How will I know if I have hair pulling disorder?
There is such a fine line between hair pulling as a bad habit and the onset of a clinical diagnosis that is often shrugged off and dismissed by those affected by it. Health professionals are also, at times, not knowledgable about trichotillomania and perceive it as a habit the person simply needs to ‘get over’. Yet when the behavior has escalated to the level of a diagnosis, this is exactly what they struggle with most. One of the key clues that behavior may have a clinical component is if the individual has tried to stop pulling on several occasions and failed, often leading to the behavior actually increasing as a result. Some of the warning signs that hair pulling is affecting your function include:
• Not being able to go out in public without covering up the pulling site, e.g. wearing hats, scarves, sunglasses
• Avoidance of social situations when conditions are windy or wet, e.g. swimming
• Constantly being late due to spending extended periods of time pulling
• Feeling you are not in control of the ability to stop pulling
(http://www.trichstop.com/trich-diagnosis-dsm5)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is by far one of the most effective treatments for trichotillomania to date. It is also the form of treatment that is the most widely accepted by scientists and researchers.
Trichotillomania can have devastatingly negative impacts on a person’s life. In addition to the physical issue of hair pulling, it can also cause an array of negative symptoms in those suffering from it. These include depression, anxiety, shame, guilt, embarrassment, low self-esteem, isolation, and social withdrawal.
Fortunately, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, unlike many other treatment techniques focuses on treating all of these symptoms at one time. It is the closest to a complete “cure” for trichotillomania that there currently is.
What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
CBT is a type of therapy that has proven effective in treating Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRBs). These are disorders that may result in some type of physical harm, disfigurement, or injury. In addition to trichotillomania, the following also fall under the BFRB umbrella: compulsive skin picking, compulsive nail biting, compulsive biting of the inside of the cheek.
Much of CBT’s success is thanks to its practical and “hands-on” approach to treating trichotillomania. The therapy focuses on changing the attitudes and behaviors of the people with compulsive hair pulling disorder. CBT starts by helping you notice, explore, and change false thoughts that you might have about hair pulling.
Many people with the disorder base their behavior on ideas that are often untrue. An example of one of these false thoughts is “the only way I can get this feeling to go away is by pulling.” With CBT, this thought can be changed to “accepting the itchy feeling and letting it be will allow it to decrease in intensity. Pulling will only make the feeling worse.”
CBT also helps you address the emotional side of hair pulling. It allows you to work through thoughts about yourself and your relationships with others.
(http://www.trichstop.com/treatment/pro/cbt)
