Trichotillomania Research Paper

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Running head: UNDERSTANDING AND TREATMENT OF TRICHOTILLOMANIA Improving the Understanding and Treatment of Trichotillomania Anonymous Class 03-09 University of Nebraska Abstract Trichotillomania, a disorder characterized by chronic hair pulling, is an impulse control disorder that is poorly understood. Although trichotillomania affects a significant number of individuals, diagnoses and treatment can often be difficult for primary care providers due to the indiscriminative presentation in patients as well as the limited and often conflicting information available about the disorder. A definitive cause of trichotillomania has yet to be identified; however, much research has gone into identifying effective treatments to improve the…show more content…
In the case of trichotillomania these repeated behaviors amount to repeated hair pulling. (Chamberlain, 2007) Although there have been co morbid associations made between trichotillomania and obsessive compulsive disorder, there are differences between the two disorders that have been identified and must be taken into consideration when attempting to diagnose a suspected case of trichotillomania. (Chamberlain, 2007) These differences include age of onset and the driving force behind the urge for hair pulling. (Chamberlain, 2007) In trichotillomania, patients are likely to be young in age at the onset of the disorder, with onset occurring during their preadolescent years (Franklin, 2008) Moreover, the urge for hair pulling is not usually driven by recurrent intrusive thoughts as opposed to obsessive compulsive disorder in which compulsions are frequently undertaken in response to obsessions. (Chamberlain,…show more content…
HRT has also been utilized in the management of other obsessive compulsive disorders with varying degrees of success. Though tics, tremors, Tourettes, skin-picking, nail-biting, obsessive compulsive disorder (alone) and trichotillomania make up individual diagnoses, the impulsive nature of the illness, whether voluntary or not, may be the single identifiable underlying link in the much broader spectrum of a disease process. Key components of HRT consist of the following: 1. Self monitoring requires that a patient maintain a record of episodes of hair pulling 2. Awareness training is a measure implemented to increase a patient’s awareness of situations and precipitating factors that increase the likelihood of the need to pull ones hair. Patients are directed to identify those instances that occur prior to the urge to pull out their

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