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Best Treatment For Trichotillomania
Many of us at some point may have felt overwhelming worry or anxiety that has made us want to “pull our hair out”. But did you know that there is an actual condition where the sufferers tug out their hair as a result of overwhelming emotions or feelings or an irresistible urge? This condition is called trichotillomania. Trichotillomania often results in bald patches on the head, eyelashes, eyebrows, or other areas of the body covered by hair.
People who suffer from this condition often suffer in secret and can go to great lengths to hide it. It can disturb their work and even their social life, as one may feel embarrassed to meet people when there are bald spots.
Symptoms of trichotillomania
Besides recurrent hair pulling, other symptoms may include:
- Repeated tries to decrease or stop hair pulling
- Hair pulling causes distress in social, professional or other areas of functioning
- An increased feeling of tension before pulling hair, or when trying to resist pulling
- A feeling of relief after pulling
- Noticeable hair loss
- Biting, chewing, or eating pulled hair
- Pulling certain kinds of hair (certain textures)
- Hair pulling often occurs in private
The emotional aspect of trichotillomania
There is a huge emotional factor to this condition. People with trichotillomania often experience a rush of conflicting emotions frequently and this can contribute to increased levels of anxiety and depression.
- Positive Emotions: During an event of deliberate hair pulling, the relief of pulling out the ‘right’ hair, results in a rush of endorphins which leads to positive feelings. People can feel accomplished, happy, relieved, and calm immediately upon pulling out their hair.
- Negative Emotions: Once the positive emotions fade away after an occurrence of deliberate or absent-minded hair pulling, people often experience feelings of panic, guilt, shame, disgust, and sadness.
Conventional treatment for trichotillomania
Therapy
- Habit reversal: In this technique, individuals learn how to recognize situations where they are likely to pull hair and substitute it with other behaviors instead. Many people use alerts, journaling and other strategies to increase their consciousness of triggers. A person might substitute a hair pulling habit with behaviors such as snapping an elastic band on the wrist or clenching fists, to name a few.
- Cognitive therapy: In this treatment, therapists usually focus more on the current situation and its solution, rather than the past. This type of therapy can help people explore negative thoughts related to hair pulling.
Medication
Currently, no pharmacotherapy for trichotillomania treatment is consistently effective and there are no specific medications for trichotillomania treatment. SSRIs (Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) and SNRIs (serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors) can be used to treat some accompanying symptoms of anxiety. But they can also come with certain side-effects like feeling agitated, shaky or anxious, loss of appetite, dizziness, etc.
Trichotillomania is seen to have a neurobiological basis. Trichotillomania may get triggered by a variety of stressful or traumatic life events. Simple one-size-fits-all treatment modalities such as the use of anti-depressant medications will not completely heal the trichotillomania. There is no quick fix or magic pill for trichotillomania management. It is a complex disorder and needs proper and may be long term medical treatment.
Also read: https://www.drbatras.com/hair-treatment-at-dr-batras
Homeopathy treatment for trichotillomania
Homeopathy strengthens the body's ability to heal itself from severe health conditions. Homeopathic treatment for trichotillomania is based on detailed case studies, which also include the mental and emotional aspects of the patient’s personality besides the physical symptoms of trichotillomania. Homeopaths look at the whole person on a physical, mental and emotional level rather than just the affected scalp or other area of the body. The medicines thus selected help in improving the body’s response to stress; this helps in controlling the urge to pull out hair.
Homeopathy takes a holistic approach by addressing mental, physical and emotional factors to ensure overall wellbeing. Homeopathic medicines are safe, non-habitual and provide long-lasting relief. Since it addresses the root cause of a problem, homeopathic trichotillomania treatment also brings down the chances of a relapse of trichotillomania.
According to a study published in the Indian Journal of Dermatology, homeopathy is a safe and clinically effective line of treatment, with up to 90% patient recovery. At Dr Batra’s™, we provide you with the best solutions so that you can get treated with no pain or worry. Our doctors address the trichotillomania causes through suitable homeopathic medicines which in turn reduce the chances of recurrence of the condition. These homeopathic medicines are safe, non-habit forming and provide long-lasting relief. Book an appointment at Dr Batra's™ homeopathy clinic for an effective and side-effect-free for trichotillomania treatment.
