Trichotillomania is defined as a self-induced and recurrent loss of hair.[3] It includes the criterion of an increasing sense of tension before pulling the hair and gratification or relief when pulling the hair.[1] However, some people with trichotillomania do not endorse the inclusion of "rising tension and subsequent pleasure, gratification, or relief" as part of the criteria;[1] because many individuals with trichotillomania may not realize they are pulling their hair, patients presenting for diagnosis may deny the criteria for tension prior to hair pulling or a sense of gratification after hair is pulled.[3]
Trichotillomania may lie on the obsessive–compulsive spectrum, also encompassing obsessive–compulsive disorder, nail biting
These data are preliminary, but could indicate a genetic component in trichotillomania.[1][20] The more research that surrounds this relatively newly understood phenomenon, the closer that experts come to determining whether or not it is indeed gene linked.[21]
[edit]Diagnosis and