Trichotillomania In The Hair Pulling Problem, By Fred Penzel

This is not known for sure if this is what alopecia areata is. It is a hypothesis, it’s based on certain antigens in the hair follicle. Many reports and printouts I came across kept saying, “the etiology of alopecia areata is entirely unknown"(e.g. Price 1991, Parret 1984, Paus 1993). According to (editorial 1984) evidence hair loss is a result of immune system activity. Which is then classified as an autoimmunity. This evidence is based on observations of an immune cell in and around the hair follicles (Parret 1984) and the knowledge that some

“Anxiety is the signal of danger which mobilizes the human organism’s resources at all levels of functioning in the interests of conservation, defense, and self- preservation.” (Anxiety 1) If a person suffers from anxiety there is a major loss of control and then an attempt to regain that control because of a fear that they have. Anxiety disorders are one of the most frequently occurring mental disorders in the United States. However, anxiety disorders are not only found in the United States. They are found throughout the world. They just happen to be most predominating in the United States. In this paper, I will be discussing the generalized anxiety disorder and how if effects society today.

Obsessive-Compulsive disorder is a type of severe anxiety disorder that impacts an individual’s entire life and way of functioning. Obsessions are considered intrusive and recurrent thoughts or impulses that cannot be removed through reasoning. Compulsions are the repetitive and ritualistic behaviors and actions that associate with the obsessions. These compulsions are to be performed according to specific rules or methods and are thought to prevent or reduce stress and feared situations. Both compulsions and obsessions cause disabling levels of anxiety. The individual affected is often able to recognize the behavior as excessive and irrational, but is unable to control or stop the behaviors without intervention.

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) was once considered a rare disease, but today, it is one of the most prevalent psychological disorders present among society. OCD is described as “intrusive thoughts or images (obsessions), which increase anxiety, and by repetitive or ritualistic actions (compulsions), which decrease anxiety” (Stein, 2002). In the DSM-IV, Obsessive compulsive disorder can be diagnosed through observable behaviours or repetitive mental habits. Symptoms include; the constant washing of hands, and/or fears concerning danger to others or to self – resulting in frequent paranoia. OCD has been linked with lesions in various neurological circuits of the brain due to the consumption of dopamine agonists (for example, cocaine). In order for obsessive compulsive disorder to take clinical significance, dysfunction and distress must follow symptoms. The treatment of OCD was initially developed in the Freudian era, as psychoanalytical treatment was seen as the most effective treatment at the time for mind management. Conversely, recent empirical evidence proved otherwise. Pharmacological therapy and cognitive-behavioural therapy, also known as systematic desensitization are nowadays the most prominent remedies used in treating obsessive compulsive disorder.

The anxiety (nervousness) of this disorder causes the individual to feel the urgent need to perform certain routines or rituals (compulsion) (Chakraburtty, 2009). For example, a person who has an unreasonable germ fear constantly washes their hands (Chakraburtty, 2009). The rituals are performed in an attempt to prevent or make the obsessive thoughts go away (Chakraburtty, 2009). The rituals that are performed are temporarily the person will perform the rituals again once his or her obsessive thoughts return (Chakraburtty, 2009).

Anxiety is often the result of maladaptive thought processes and dysfunctional thought patterns. Misinterpreted situations and the underestimation of emotional ability to cope with those situations appear to contribute to the disorder. As mentioned previously, behavioral components include the obsessive thoughts or impulses which precede the application of ritualistic practice (Hansell & Damour, 2008). Each approach has distinct perceptions of OCD and equally distinct methods of

Trichotillomania, also known as trichotillosis or hair pulling disorder, is defined as an impulse control disorder characterized by the compulsive urge for people to pull out their own hair (Weiss, 2015). Trichotillomania occurs in two forms, conscious and unconscious hair pulling. According to information gathered from the most recent and accurate study for statistics of Trichotillomania, which was performed by group of TrichStop staff in 2013, two and a half million people who live in the United States of America have been affected by trichotillomania at some point in their life (TrichStop, 2013). The hair pulling disorder has many causes as well as several effects that occur to a person during and after the hair pulling disorder is active.

At a young age I was diagnosed with Trichotillomania, a disorder that involves recurrent irresistible urges to pull out hair from either your scalp, eyebrows, or other areas of your body. I have had this disorder since I was born and it has been a recurring problem throughout my life. This disorder can be caused by stress, anxiety, or uncontrollable impulsive behaviors. Trichotillomania can cause bald spots or significant hair loss which leads to interference with social and work functioning. For a long time I struggled in social settings because it was noticeable in conversation. Oftentimes in high anxiety situations, I would find a wad of hair on the ground from excessive hair pulling. I frequently struggled with

Persistent fears that harm may come to self or a loved one, an unreasonable belief that one has a terrible illness, or an excessive need to do things correctly or perfectly, are common. Again and again, the individual experiences a disturbing thought, such as, "My hands may be contaminated--I must wash them"; "I may have left the gas on"; or "I am going to injure my child." These thoughts are intrusive, unpleasant, and produce a high degree of anxiety. Often the obsessions are of a violent or a sexual nature, or concern illness.

Several types of anxiety disorders are discussed in this film. General anxiety disorder is described as a constant feeling of worry and fear for at least six months. A person suffering from general anxiety may experience panic attacks, cold sweats, heavy breathing, and may withdraw from social interactions. It is regularly treated with medications and cognitive behavior therapy, which is a psychotherapy that focuses on helping patients understand the feelings they are experiencing and how those feelings may be contributing to their issue. Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is another anxiety disorder discussed in this film. People develop PTSD after experiencing an emotional shock or major trauma. Someone with PTSD may have issues sleeping and controlling their anger; they may experience feelings of detachment, numbness, and may have flashbacks of the traumatic experience causing their PTSD. Like general anxiety disorder, PTSD patients are often treated with medication and cognitive behavior therapy. Recently a new therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy, has been used in PTSD patients. This therapy requires the patient to rapidly move their eyes while recalling the traumatic experience. The third type of anxiety disorder discussed in this film is obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD. OCD is described

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a disorder that causes someone to have unwanted and troubling thoughts and repetitive behaviors (Lack, 2012). People may self-diagnose themselves to be obsessive compulsive. But people with obsessive compulsive disorder need to spend at least 1 hour daily on obsessive thoughts and rituals (Ellyson, 2014). This disorder is broken into two parts. The first part is obsessions, thoughts or images, and the second part is compulsions, the repetitive behaviors caused by the obsessions (Brakoulias, 2015). An example of obsessive compulsive disorder would be someone checking the locked door multiple times to reduce anxiety about forgetting to lock the door. On average 5% of the population has subclinical symptoms which are considered to be symptoms that are not disruptive enough to meet criteria to be diagnosed obsessive compulsive (Lack, 2012). Dropping what you’re doing to go back and check if your curling iron is unplugged is an example of a subclinical symptom. This paper will discuss what obsessive compulsive disorder is and provide a brief history. It will also include current treatments, suggestions on how to treat the disorder, and a summary.

Onychotillomania is an obsessive-compulsive disorder marked by the picking at or pulling out of one's fingernails or toenails. There are many people who struggle with this condition, some extreme while others experience very mild forms. In the more extreme forms people completely rip out their fingernails and toenails from their fingers and toes. The more mild cases are people picking either at the nail itself or the skin surrounding the nail. Onychotillomania falls in the same categories of other picking disorders such as trichotillomania and dermatillomania.

Jennifer Raikes, the president of Trichotillomania Learning Center, recalls that, “The rhythm of running my fingers over my eyebrows is soothing. One half of my mind is attuned to the texture of each hair, the tickle against my thumb.” Very soon, she would feel that “... this hair feels out of place; it’s too thick, too coarse. I need to get it out.” This is the urge that has been haunting her since her childhood. As she entered her adulthood, she learned that she is not the only one with trichotillomania, the impulse-control disorder that urges one to pull out his or her hairs. In fact, trichotillomania is plaguing the lives of one in every fifty Americans (Raikes 38). This disorder

Headache = Tumor. Cough = Tuberculosis. Mole = Skin Cancer. Such is the thought process of a hypochodriac. As defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV (DSM-IV), hypochondriasis is an unrealistic interpretation of one's bodily sensations as abnormal, leading to the fear and belief that one has a serious disease (1). This preoccupation with having a serious medical condition is one of the somatoform disorders and may be considered more as a symptom than a disease. In fact, hypochondriacal symptoms often appear as a part of other mental disorders, including forms of depression or schizophrenia (2). For this reason, a close investigation of hypochondriacal behavior is necessary to

In a general view, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is associated with obsessions and compulsions. The obsessions are recurrent thoughts, fears, images, ideas, urges, and doubts. Patients suffering from this disorder often go through fluctuating episodes of compulsion which are in response to an obsessive thought, such as arranging, touching, repeatedly checking on something, and recurrent hand-washing. The patient experiences repeated rise in anxiety from the obsessions, that compels them to indulge in their compulsions as a form of relief (Brown University, 2013). Most of the patients suffering