Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Home
  • Home
Hostname: page-component-559fc8cf4f-q7jt5 Total loading time: 0.435 Render date: 2021-02-26T11:04:56.033Z Has data issue: true Feature Flags: { "shouldUseShareProductTool": true, "shouldUseHypothesis": true, "isUnsiloEnabled": true, "metricsAbstractViews": false, "figures": false, "newCiteModal": false, "newCitedByModal": true }
EnglishFrançais
CNS Spectrums CNS Spectrums

Article contents

Trichotillomania in Children and Adolescents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 November 2014

Elizabeth A. Reeve  and
Nancy J. Keuthen
Get access
Rights & Permissions[Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Trichotillomania (TTM), or hair pulling, in children and adolescents is a heterogeneous disorder requiring a sophisticated approach to each patient. Hair pulling in a young, preschool child may have a different etiology and prognosis than hair pulling in an adolescent. Treatment providers must have a clear understanding of an individual's hair-pulling history, family interactions, and comorbid psychiatric diagnoses. Behavioral strategies are the primary treatment for most children and adolescents, although there may be indications for pharmacotherapy in some individuals. While research in adult TTM has been increasing in recent years, fewer studies have investigated childhood hair pulling. This article will discuss aspects of TTM unique to children and adolescents and will provide a clinical description of childhood hair pullers and treatment strategies.

Type
Feature Article
Information
CNS Spectrums , Volume 3 , Issue 9: Trichotillomania: A New Understanding , October 1998 , pp. 36 - 39
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1998

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below.
If you should have access and can't see this content please contact technical support.

References

1.Hallopeau, FFM. Alopecie par grattage (trichomanie au trichotillomania). Ann Dermatol Venereal. 1889;10:441.Google Scholar
2.Halden, D. Epidemic alopecia. Br J Dermatol. 1914;26:207–210.Google Scholar
3.Langford, WS. Disturbance in mother-infant relationship leading to apathy, extra-nutritional sucking and hairball. In: Caplan, G, ed. Emotional Problems of Early Childhood. New York, NY: Magic Books;57–70.Google Scholar
4.Buxbaum, E. Hair pulling and fetishism. Psychoanal Study Child. 1960;15:243–260.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5.Greenberg, HR, Sarner, CA. Trichotillomania, symptom and syndrome. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1965;12:482–489.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6.Ilan, E, Alexander, E. Eyelash and eyebrow pulling (trichotillomania) treatment of two adolescent girls. Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci. 1965;3:267–281.Google ScholarPubMed
7.Anderson, FW, Dean, HC. Some aspects of child guidance clinic intake policy and practices: a study of 500 cases at the Los Angeles Child Guidance Clinics. LA Calif Pab Health Monograph. 1956;42:1–14.Google Scholar
8.King, RA, Scahill, L, Vitulano, LA, et al.Childhood trichotillomania: clinical phenomenology, comorbidity, and family genetics. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1995;34:1451–1459.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9.Christenson, GA, Pyle, RL, Mitchell, JE. Estimated lifetime prevalence of trichotillomania in college students. J Clin Psychiatry. 1991;52:415–417.Google ScholarPubMed
10.Chang, CH, Lee, MB, Chiang, YC, et al.Trichotillomania: a clinical study of 36 patients. J Formosan Med Assoc. 1991;90:176–180.Google ScholarPubMed
11.Reeve, EA, Bernstein, GA, Christenson, GA. Clinical characteristics and psychiatric comorbidity in children with trichotillomania. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1992;31:132–138.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12.Bhatia, MS, Singhal, PK, Rastogi, V, et al.Clinical profile of trichotillomania. J Indian Med Assoc. 1991;89:137–139.Google ScholarPubMed
13.Muller, SA. Trichotillomania: a histopathological study in sixty-six patients. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1990;23:56–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14.Muller, SA, Winkelmann, RK. Trichotillomania, a clinicopathologic study of 24 cases. Arch Dermatol. 1972;105:535–540.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
15.Swedo, SE, Leonard, HL. Trichotillomania: an obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorder? Psychiatric Clin North Am. 1992;15:777–791.Google Scholar
16.Christenson, GA, Mackenzie, TB, Mitchell, JE. Characteristics of 60 adult chronic hair pullers. Am J Psychiatry. 1991;148:365–370.Google ScholarPubMed
17.Zaidens, SH. Self-inflicted dermatoses and their psychodynamics. J Nerv Ment Dis. 1951;113:395–404.Google ScholarPubMed
18.Watson, TS, Allen, KD. Elimination of thumb-sucking as a treatment for severe trichotillomania. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry: 1993;32:830–834.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19.Friman, PC, Hove, G. Apparent covariation between child habit disorders: effects of sucessful treatment for thumb sucking on untargeted chronic hair pulling. J Appl Behav Anal. 1987;20:421–425.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
20.Knell, SM, Moore, DJ. Childhood trichotillomania treated indirectly by punishing thumb sucking. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry. 1998;19:305–310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
21.Swedo, SE, Leonard, HL, Garvey, M, et al.Pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections: clinical description of the first 50 cases. Am J Psychiatry. 1998;155:264–271.Google Scholar
22.Delgado, RA, Mannino, FV. Some observations on trichotillomania in children. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1969;8:229–246.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
23.Azrin, NH, Nunn, RG. Habit-reversal: a method of eliminating nervous habits and tics. Behav Res Ther. 1973;11:619–628.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
24.Azrin, NH, Nunn, RG. Habit Control in a Day. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster; 1977.Google Scholar
25.Vitulano, LA, King, RA, Scahill, L, et al.Behavioral treatment of children and adolescents with trichotillomania. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1992;31:139–146.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
26.Peterson, AL, Camprise, RL, Azrin, NH. Behavioral and pharmacological treatments for tic and habit disorders. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 1994;15:430–441.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
27.Tarnowski, Kj, Rosen, LA, McGrath, ML, et al.A modified habit reversal procedure in a recalcitrant case of trichotillomania. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiat. 1987;18:157–163.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Full text views

Full text views reflects PDF downloads, PDFs sent to Google Drive, Dropbox and Kindle and HTML full text views.

Total number of HTML views: 0
Total number of PDF views: 18 *
View data table for this chart

* Views captured on Cambridge Core between September 2016 - 26th February 2021. This data will be updated every 24 hours.

1 Cited by

Send article to Kindle

To send this article to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about sending to your Kindle. Find out more about sending to your Kindle.

Note you can select to send to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be sent to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Trichotillomania in Children and Adolescents
Available formats
×

Send article to Dropbox

To send this article to your Dropbox account, please select one or more formats and confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your <service> account. Find out more about sending content to Dropbox.

Trichotillomania in Children and Adolescents
Available formats
×

Send article to Google Drive

To send this article to your Google Drive account, please select one or more formats and confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your <service> account. Find out more about sending content to Google Drive.

Trichotillomania in Children and Adolescents
Available formats
×
×

Reply to: Submit a response

Your details

Conflicting interests

Do you have any conflicting interests? *