With more people than ever facing loneliness and isolation, it’s no wonder that stress-related illnesses are at an all-time high. That includes various forms of hair loss that can be triggered by stress or anxiety, including the often misunderstood condition, trichotillomania, or “trich.”
Links Between Stress and Hair Loss
Stress is often linked to hair loss, and is even at the root of the old saying “I’m pulling my own hair out,” meaning you’re frustrated or you feel at a complete loss. But simply feeling stress doesn’t cause hair loss. Stress and related mental health conditions like anxiety can lead to compulsive coping behaviors, like nail-biting, scratching, and trichotillomania.
Trichotillomania Explained
Trichotillomania is a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder or OCD. The person with trich feels an uncontrollable urge to pull their hair. This includes hair anywhere on the body, even eyebrows or other facial hair.
Feeling anxious is often cited as a trigger for hair pulling, with the person only feeling relief or a lessening of anxiety once they’ve been able to pull their hair. It’s quite common for someone with trich to pull their hair repeatedly until it starts to come out, leading to temporary hair loss and bald spots.
Dealing with Trichotillomania
Dealing with trichotillomania almost always means getting to the root of the anxiety or other issue that’s causing the physical response. This could be due to isolation, such as many people experienced during periods of lockdown. It could be due to stress caused by any number of factors, such as work or even their love life. It could be a related underlying mental health condition such as anxiety. Anyone who experiences hair pulling should speak to a doctor who might recommend:
• Therapies such as cognitive behavioral work or habit reversal therapy
• Relaxation techniques and focusing on concepts such as mindfulness
• Therapy based around self-awareness
While treatment is ongoing, hairpieces or wigs can be an option to help sufferers maintain their confidence and self-image. This is particularly supportive if the individual has thinning or bald spots, or is worried about the condition of their own hair.
If you think you may be suffering from trichotillomania or any other form of hair loss, call Genesis II today at (315) 458-1074 and discover how we can help.
Photo Credit: JerzyGorecki Via Pixabay
Sources
https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/7803/trichotillomania
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5328413/
https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/trichotillomania/
