Habit reversal training for trichotillomania.
Trichotillomania is characterized by the repeated urge to pull out hair, leading to noticeable hair loss, distress, and social or functional impairment. Most of the cases present initially to dermatologists with complaints of loss of hair and is often confused with other dermatological conditions like alopecia areata, tinea capitis, traction alopecia, and loose anagen syndrome. It is a chronic condition and difficult to treat. No formal treatment algorithm is present for trichotillomania and no drug has been found to be universally effective. We present a case report of a 22-year-old single female diagnosed with trichotillomania, with complaints of recurrent hair pulling resulting in noticeable hair loss since the age of 8 years. She was treated with Habit Reversal Training with Stimulus Control over a period of 12 weeks and attained complete remission. The effectiveness of HRT plus for the treatment of Trichotillomania is ascertained.
Department of Psychiatry, PGIMER, Chandigarh, India.
Sunil
S
Gupta
Parshotam Dass
PD
Gargi