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Discussion

trichotillomania

i hope i spelled that right......i had a very interesting pt on saturday, she was in for a lap/ appy , i asked her medical history and she told me she has... trichotillomania.. she said " i dig at my scalp when i get stressed " she told me she dig her scalp at the crown until it bled sometimes.. ouch... she is on zoloft and xanax for anxiety and behavorial management ... also a vitamin called inositol.. it is a B vitamin that she says helps... she has been doing this for years and she is 32 years old.

has anyone ever had a pt with this disorder before? i asked her what she did to counteract her wanting to dig her scalp.. she said ' i keep my hands busy" she had only one small dime size area on her crown that had no hair...

i felt as if i wanted to help her but wasn't sure what to say...

i'm not sure what i'm asking .. i'm just venting i guess because i have never heard of this before...thank you all very much

Featured Replies

check out this thread. may be helpful to you!

trichotillomania awareness (long, but please find time to read ...9 posts - 5 authors - last post: sep 29

during the summer of 1965, at the age of 13, i experienced the onset of a little known disorder that would come to define those still early ...

allnurses.com/forums/f8/trichotillomania-awareness-long-but-please-find-time-read-336993.html

I'm a nursing student. 22 years old. Have had it for well over a decade.

  • Experts

Had a patient - 10 years old - when I worked at a community health center that suffered from it. Poor little girl, she was miserable but couldn't stop.

  • Author

wow i read that thread and i never realized alot of people did it. is it a OCD ? i am sorry for those of you who have it..

i bite my nails to the quick.... when i get stressed... that is how i releive stress.... it comes and goes my nail biting.

i appreciate all your input and teaching me about this disorder... i love and respect all your answers.. thank you again

Hey, i'm a pre nursing student. I've had it for over 13 yrs. I'm 24. As far as meds go, there isn't much out there that has been proven effective for this condition. The best thing so far is behavior cognitive therapy which is provided by a therapist. I am currently working with a therapist myself for this. A lot of therapists recommend a combo of anafril and cognitive therapy. this is a very serious condition, and some people have it worse than others. I for instance have absolutely no hair at the crown of my scalp its not our fault, its beyond our control, and so far there is no cure. Its very sad. Check out youtube and type in the word trichotillomania under videos. You'll be surprised of all the videos out there where people talk about their experiences and battles with trich. one day, i pray that I can overcome. Just be understanding and nonjudgemental, that's the best you can do hun. Thanks

My understanding is that it's not OCD, but an OCD spectrum disorder, similar in some ways to dermotillimania (compulsive skin picking)

I have had a few kids with it. It is very difficult to treat and for them to live with due to the change in their appearance . :crying2: I do know that we use alot of DBT (didatic behavioral therapy) to work thru the stressors and help the child plan other ways to deal with the stress.

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