A Simple Guide to Hair Pulling Disorder, (Trichotillomania) Diagnosis, Treatment and Related Conditions

By Kenneth Kee

This book describes Hair Pulling Disorder, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases

Hair pulling disorder, also known as trichotillomania, is a mental health disorder typified by an irresistible urge to pull out one's hair, resulting in noticeable hair loss.

Studies show that 0.5 to 2 % of people have hair-pulling disorder.

Many children who develop hair-pulling disorder will direct the pulling out of the hair from their head, often directed on 1 or 2 regions of the scalp.

People with hair-pulling disorder do not always restrict hair pulling to the scalp.

They may also pull hair from other parts of the body such as the eyebrows, eyelashes, pubic hair or any other region on their body that has hair.

Over a period this person will have bald spots and thinning hair.

Hair pulling disorder or Trichotillomania normally starts during the adolescent years but it has been known to appear in young children, too.

Based on a 2016 study, the characteristic age for the symptoms to appear is 10-13 years old.

Once it begins, it can carry on for several years through to adulthood.

The precise cause of hair pulling disorder is not known.

It is regarded as a complex medical disorder that may result from a combination of genetic, neurobiological and psychological factors.

Some possible causes are:

1. Genetic predisposition:

Hair pulling disorder is likely to run in families, indicating a genetic component.

2. Neurobiological factors:

Certain imbalances in neurotransmitters (chemical messengers in the brain) such as serotonin and dopamine which are involved in mood regulation and impulse control may cause the development of the hair pulling disorder.

3. Emotional regulation difficulties:

Hair pulling can be a method to cope with stress, anxiety or other negative emotions.

4. Behavioral conditioning:

Persons with hair pulling disorder may feel a sense of relief or pleasure after pulling out their hair, reinforcing the behavior.

Emotional factors may also play a part.

The patient normally begins by pulling out the hairs on the scalp first, an action that makes the person feel relief with less anxiety or stress.

Many people do not even know that they are pulling out their own hair.

The realization that they are pulling out hair can cause more feelings of anxiety and embarrassment.

This produces a cycle of anxiety, hair pulling, temporary relief and then anxiety, embarrassment, and hair pulling again.

The primary symptom of hair pulling disorder is the recurrent and compulsive pulling out of hair, normally from the scalp but can also involve eyebrows, eyelashes, or other body areas.

Symptoms of Hair pulling disorder are:
Pulling out hair repeatedly
Breaking off pieces of hair
Eating hair (trichophagy)
Feeling relieved after pulling hair out

The progression of symptoms is:
An increasing sense of tension or anxiety before pulling out the hair.
A feeling of relief or pleasure after pulling out the hair.
Noticeable hair loss, which may lead to bald patches or thinning hair.
Persistent efforts to stop or reduce hair pulling, often unsuccessful.
Significant anguish or harm in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

A diagnosis of hair pulling disorder is normally made by a mental health doctor based on the medical history and a comprehensive examination

Hair pulling disorder can be difficult to treat but several methods are effective.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy
Medicines - N-acetylcysteine, Olanzapine

TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 Hair Pulling Disorder
Chapter 2 Causes
Chapter 3 Symptoms
Chapter 4 Diagnosis
Chapter 5 Treatment
Chapter 6 Prognosis
Chapter 7 Skin Picking Disorder
Chapter 8 Nail Biting Disorder
Epilogue

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kenneth Kee
• Release date: Jun 16, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215540855

Kenneth Kee

Medical doctor since 1972.Started Kee Clinic in 1974 at 15 Holland Dr #03-102, relocated to 36 Holland Dr #01-10 in 2009.Did my M.Sc (Health Management ) in 1991 and Ph.D (Healthcare Administration) in 1993.Dr Kenneth Kee is still working as a family doctor at the age of 74However he has reduced his consultation hours to 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours inthe afternoon.He first started writing free blogs on medical disorders seen in the clinic in 2007 on http://kennethkee.blogspot.com.His purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of his patients which is also his dissertation for his Ph.D (Healthcare Administration). He then wrote an autobiography account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.comThis autobiography account “A Family Doctor’s Tale” was combined with his early “A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders” into a new Wordpress Blog “A Family Doctor’s Tale” on http://ken-med.com.From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 1000 eBooks.He apologized for typos and spelling mistakes in his earlier books.He will endeavor to improve the writing in futures.Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.The later books go into more details of medical disorders.He has published 1000 eBooks on various subjects on health, 1 autobiography of his medical journey, another on the autobiography of a Cancer survivor, 2 children stories and one how to study for his nephew and grand-daughter.The purpose of these simple guides is to educate patient on health disorders and not meant as textbooks.He does not do any night duty since 2000 ever since Dr Tan had his second stroke.His clinic is now relocated to the Buona Vista Community Centre.The 2 units of his original clinic are being demolished to make way for a new Shopping Mall.He is now doing some blogging and internet surfing (bulletin boards since the 1980's) startingwith the Apple computer and going to PC.The entire PC is upgraded by himself from XT to the present Pentium duo core.The present Intel i7 CPU is out of reach at the moment because the CPU is still expensive.He is also into DIY changing his own toilet cistern and other electric appliance.His hunger for knowledge has not abated and he is a lifelong learner.The children have all grown up and there are 2 grandchildren who are even more technically advanced than the grandfather where mobile phones are concerned.This book is taken from some of the many articles in his blog (now with 740 posts) A Family Doctor’s Tale.Dr Kee is the author of:"A Family Doctor's Tale""Life Lessons Learned From The Study And Practice Of Medicine""Case Notes From A Family Doctor"

Book preview

A

Simple

Guide

To

Hair Pulling Disorder,

(Trichotillomania)

Diagnosis,

Treatment

And

Related Conditions

By

Dr Kenneth Kee

M.B., B.S. (Singapore)

Ph.D (Healthcare Administration)

Copyright Kenneth Kee 2023 Smashwords Edition

Published by Kenneth Kee at Smashwords.com

Dedication

This book is dedicated

To my wife Dorothy

And my children

Carolyn, Grace

And Kelvin

This book describes Hair Pulling Disorder, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases which is seen in some of my patients in my Family Clinic.

(What You Need to Treat Hair Pulling Disorder)

This e-Book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader.

If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Introduction

I have been writing medical articles for my blog: http://kennethkee.blogspot.com (A Simple Guide to Medical Disorder) for the benefit of my patients since 2007.

My purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of my patients.

Health Education was also my dissertation for my Ph.D (Healthcare Administration).

I then wrote an autobiography account of my journey as a medical student to family doctor on my other blog: http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.com.

This autobiography account A Family Doctor’s Tale was combined with my early A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders into a new Wordpress Blog A Family Doctor’s Tale on http://kenkee481.wordpress.com.

From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 800 eBooks.

Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.

For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.

The later books go into more details of medical disorders.

The first chapter is always from my earlier blogs which unfortunately tends to have typos and spelling mistakes.

Since 2013, I have tried to improve my spelling and writing.

As I tried to bring the patient the latest information about a disorder or illness by reading the latest journals both online and offline, I find that I am learning more and improving on my own medical knowledge in diagnosis and treatment for my patients.

My diagnosis and treatment capability has improved tremendously from my continued education.

Just by writing all these simple guides I find that I have learned a lot from your reviews (good or bad), criticism and advice.

I am sorry for the repetitions in these simple guides as the second chapters onwards have new information as compared to my first chapter taken from my blog.

I also find repetition definitely help me and maybe some readers to remember the facts in the books more easily.

I apologize if these repetitions are irritating to some readers.

Chapter 1

Hair-pulling Disorder (trichotillomania)

What is Hair-pulling disorder (trichotillomania)?

Hair pulling disorder, also known as trichotillomania, is a mental health disorder typified by an irresistible urge to pull out one's hair, resulting in noticeable hair loss.

Hair pulling disorder or Trichotillomania (TTM) is a mental disorder in which people have an overwhelming urgency to pull out their own hair.

Studies show that 0.5 to 2 % of people have hair-pulling disorder.

Many children who develop hair-pulling disorder will direct the pulling