Trichotillomania is a mental health condition in which a person feels a strong urge to pull out their own hair. Usually, hair is pulled from the head, eyelashes, and eyebrows.
The exact cause is not known. Contributing factors may include stressful events or a chemical imbalance in the brain similar to that seen in people who have obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Symptoms may include:
- Patches of baldness.
- Broken pieces of hair.
- Sparse eyebrows or eyelashes.
- Denial of a hair-pulling problem and attempts to conceal the problem.
Treatment usually involves medicine and psychotherapy.