Trichotillomania

Will anyone find an explanation to what urges a sudden impulses that is deep within the brain unable to ever get to but temporary pleasure causes me to pull my hair in one section of the head.
Have you heard of this rare problem which is only hitting 2% of our population?
I can explain such detail and wonder why testing has not been done other than a disease that is related to our mind. I know what I feel.
will explain the impulse me why I have a pleasure in a section of my head. I'm 29 years of age and cannot tell anyone about this battle.
Sincerely,
B.

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Dear B.
What you have is a relatively common compulsive disorder, named TRICHOTILLOMANIA, or TTM. It is more common in kids than in adults.
The word comes from Trich = Hair ~ till = pull ~ mania = madness
Having TTM, however, doesn't mean that you are mad. In fact, there is a remarkable lack of mental problems in people who have TTM. There are, however, extreme cases of TTM which seem to be associated to the branch of obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD), requiring medical therapy.
See a page about that in http://www.trichotillomania.ab.ca/rwpeta/ttm.html
The definition given by it is:
"Recurrent pulling out of ones hair resulting in noticeable hair loss. An increasing sense of tension immediately before pulling out the hair or when attempting to resist the behavior. Pleasure, gratification, or relief when pulling out the hair. The disturbance is not better accounted for by another mental disorder and is not due to a general medical condition (e.g., a dermatological condition). The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning."

TTM is an impulse control disorder, and may be related either to pleasure (like it seems in your case) or habit. Many psychiatrists consider TTM to be an anxiety disorder, i.e., pulling one's hairs appears as a conditioned device to decrease anxiety. Feelings of low self-esteem, depression and shame, particularly in women, sometimes are associated with TTM. Therefore, treating anxiety or depression with medication and behavior therapy will help, as with many other manias and OCDs. I would suggest that you consult with a psychiatrist who is a specialist in impulse control disorders. I am sure that you will be free of this disorder with relative ease.

Best regards
Dr. Renato M.E. Sabbatini
Neuroscientist, School of Medicine, State University of Campinas, Brazil.

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