What Causes Trichotillomania?

Seeking Relief from Severe Emotional Distress

Trichotillomania episodes sometimes occur as a coping mechanism when someone is seeking relief from severe emotional distress. For some individuals, rituals associated with trichotillomania can be a way of calming down or decompressing. For others, the hair pulling is a form of self-harm. About fourteen percent of men and twenty percent of women have engaged in some form of self-harm at some point in their lives. The reasoning behind the relief is a neurological connection between physical and emotional pain. When the physical pain peaks and then ebbs, the emotional pain also ebbs with it. In addition, the brain releases healing chemicals when it detects a physical injury. However, there are ways to soothe this urge without injuring the body through trichotillomania episodes or other self-harm methods. Individuals trying to stop trich episodes related to self-harm may benefit from holding ice cubes until the urge subsides. Extreme cold activates the same portion of the brain that injury does.

Get more details on causes linked to trichotillomania now.