Abstract
Trichotillomania is an often debilitating psychiatric condition characterized by recurrent pulling out of one’s own hair, leading to hair loss and marked functional impairment. Although discussed in the medical literature for over a century, trichotillomania was not officially included as a mental disorder in DSM until 1987, when it was classified as an impulse control disorder not elsewhere classified in DSMIII-R. In DSM-5, trichotillomania is included in the chapter on obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, along with obsessive-compulsive disorder, excoriation disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, and hoarding disorder.
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Begin with a thorough psychiatric assessment to establish an accurate diagnosis and to assess for co-occurring psychiatric disorders.
Conduct a thorough medical evaluation if the patient admits to ingesting hair, to assess for possible gastrointestinal blockage.
Provide education about the disorder, including its possible etiologies and the benefits and risks of treatment.
Reprinted from American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association, 2013, p. 251. Copyright 2013, American Psychiatric Association.
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Ammar, A.M., Ibrahim, S.M., Elsaie, M.L. (2022). Patchy, Bizarre Hair Loss on the Scalp. In: Waśkiel-Burnat, A., Sadoughifar, R., Lotti, T.M., Rudnicka, L. (eds) Clinical Cases in Hair Disorders. Clinical Cases in Dermatology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-93423-1_32
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