Is trichotillomania a symptom of ADHD?

Author: Austin Kreiger  |  Last update: Thursday, April 3, 2025

While ADHD is not an impulse control disorder like trichotillomania, it can cause problems with impulse control. For this reason, scientists think ADHD and trichotillomania might have some connection with each other, but scientists are still learning about these links.

Can trichotillomania be linked to ADHD?

Background. Individuals with trichotillomania (TTM), a disorder characterized by repetitive pulling out of one's own hair, often have co-occurring ADHD, but little is known about this comorbidity. Additionally, there have been intimations in the literature that treatment of ADHD with stimulants may worsen TTM symptoms.

What is the root cause of trichotillomania?

Causes of trichotillomania

your way of dealing with stress or anxiety. a chemical imbalance in the brain. changes in hormone levels during puberty. genetic - more than one person in a family may have the condition.

What vitamins are good for trichotillomania?

Furthermore, evidence to date has suggested that dietary changes (e.g., eating a gluten free diet or increasing vitamin D and B12) may play a role in reducing the symptoms of Tourette's and obsessive compulsive disorder, disorders with some phenomenological and possibly genetic relationship to trichotillomania and skin ...

How did I cured my trichotillomania?

Habit reversal training.

This behavior therapy is the main treatment for trichotillomania. You learn how to recognize situations where you're likely to pull out your hair and how to substitute other behaviors instead. For example, you might clench your fists to help stop the urge.

Is trichotillomania a symptom of ADHD?

What is the permanent damage of trichotillomania?

Constantly pulling out hair can cause scarring, infections and other damage to the skin on your scalp or the area where hair is pulled out. This can permanently affect hair growth.

Is trichotillomania linked to autism?

Although many variables have been examined as potentially contributing to the manifestation of trichotillomania (TTM), little research has focused on problems in social interactions. Hair pulling has many similarities to the stereotypies seen in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and is not uncommon in those with ASD.

What deficiency causes trichotillomania?

Vitamin D deficiency has been correlated with non-scarring alopecia including alopecia areata or female pattern hair loss. It was theorized that hair loss secondary to vitamin D deficiency in patients susceptible to trichotillomania may exacerbate this obsessive-compulsive disorder.

What foods are good for trichotillomania?

"Good" foods include allicins (onions, garlic), tannins, yogurt and tropical fruits [5]. There are no published studies of the efficacy of this diet in trichotillomania.

What vitamin stops skin picking?

N-Acetylcysteine (NAC): NAC is an amino acid that has shown promise in reducing compulsive behaviors, including skin picking, in some studies. It may work by increasing levels of the neurotransmitter glutamate, which plays a role in impulse control.

Why is it so hard to stop trichotillomania?

Each time the person pulls hair, the brain releases a small burst of reward hormone. The person feels 'rewarded' with a brief sense of relief. This makes the urge harder to resist. Doing the habit makes it stronger.

What trauma causes trichotillomania?

Recently, a strong relationship of family chaos during childhood and trichotillomania has also been reported, in which 86% of women with trichotillomania reported a history of violence—for example, sexual assault or rape—concurrent with the onset of trichotillomania.

What not to say to someone with trichotillomania?

Don't say, “You need to learn to relax, and maybe the pulling will stop automatically.” Usually, this isn't true. My clients with trich have hairpulling on their mind constantly (which can be mentally exhausting) and have uncontrollable urges to pull.

What worsens trichotillomania?

Adults with trichotillomania frequently report that their pulling worsens during periods of heightened anxiety [9]. Alternatively, hair pulling for many adults leads to avoidance of social activities and results in anxiety during intimate situations [6], [10], [11].

What is ADHD stimming?

ADHD stimming is when a person with ADHD displays self-stimulatory behavior by repeating certain sounds and movements unconsciously. There are many different examples, including lip biting, rocking back and forth, humming, teeth grinding, or chewing gum.

Will hair grow back after being pulled out in a fight?

In most cases, hair that is pulled from the scalp will grow back. However, repeated pulling or excessive pulling can cause scarring and permanent hair loss.

Does Vaseline help with trichotillomania?

In young children, treat trichotillomania as a short-term habit disorder by cutting the hair very short (like a crew cut in boys) and applying Vaseline to the hair. “They stop their habit right away because it's so slippery they can't pull,” Dr. Kwong said.

What is the best medication for trichotillomania?

SSRIs and clomipramine are considered first-line in TTM. In addition, family members of TTM patients are often affected by obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders. Other drugs used in the treatment of TTM are lamotrigine, olanzapine, N-Acetylcysteine, inositol, and naltrexone.

What living with trichotillomania is really like?

For some, trich can be highly disruptive in their lives. For others, they are able to find a place of acceptance and ways to manage their pulling. Some people seem to just be simply unbothered by it.

What can be mistaken for trichotillomania?

Individuals may be misdiagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, or even drug addiction.

What happens if you don't treat trichotillomania?

Damage to your scalp, skin, or hair.

People with trichotillomania often have hair loss or bald or uneven patches on their scalp, body, or face. Repeated pulling can leave tiny scars on your scalp, skin, or hair follicles. Sometimes, this scarring makes it harder for the hair to grow back.

What kind of people have trichotillomania?

Trichotillomania risk factors can vary. Often, the condition is more common for those withobsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)or otheranxiety-based disorders. While there is no specific cause for trichotillomania, increases in stress can worsen symptoms and cause more flare-ups in the behavior.

Do people with ADHD have trichotillomania?

ADHD and Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors (Hair Pulling, Skin Picking etc) with Roberto Olivardia, Ph. D. Many people with ADHD commonly engage in body focused repetitive behaviors (BFRB), such as skin picking (dermotillomania), hair pulling (trichotillomania), nail biting and nose picking to name a few.

What can I do instead of pulling my hair?

Instead of pulling, do other things to stimulate thes,e such as washing your hair, brushing your lips on dental floss or string (if you rub the hair on your lips), and massaging your scalp. Avoid caffeine right before bed. Often, bedtime is a time when a lot of people pull.

What is stimming?

Stimming – or self-stimulatory behaviour – is repetitive body movements or noises. Stimming might include: hand and finger movements – for example, finger-flicking and hand-flapping. body movements – for example, rocking back and forth while sitting or standing.

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