Trichotillomania Theory

Words: 1563
Pages: 7

Carpenter 2 Le’Darius Carpenter
Mrs. Westerfield
Comp II
5 February 2016 According to Koushik Chatterjee, Trichotillomania (TTM) “is a type of psychiatric disorder which is characterized by repetitive hair pulling” (259). People who have the disorder pull their hair out “in a chronic or compulsive manner” (Chatterjee 259). The “behavior of hair pulling” is similar to that of nail biters and skin pickers (Chatterjee 259). TTM is classified as “an obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorder (OCSD) but is “not known to be driven by cognitive intrusions” (Chatterjee 259). Christopher Flessner and Abbe Marrs Garcia believe that roughly “3 million children and adults in the United States” have this disorder (1). TTM was found “much more prevalent among women”, but in children the female gender is less dominant (Flessner and Garcia 1). TTM is often
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In group therapy, he/she has a support system which, in turn, benefits the individual. Victoria, Brandy, and Laura, believe that there is more work to be done to test the overall efficiency of the group therapy treatment (Kelly, McCormick, & White Kress 188).
Hypnotherapy has proved “effective in treating habit disorders” according to Victoria, Brandy, and Laura (Kelly, McCormick, & White Kress 188). In hypnotherapy, the individual “closes his or her eyes…imagines his or her favorite place” while then being engaged in “progressive relaxation.” Then the individual is “directed to start to pull his or her hair while the counselor introduces therapeutic suggestions” (Kelly, McCormick, & White Kress 188). They believe that hypnotherapy is only of good use when it is used with “highly suggestible clients” (Kelly, McCormick, & White Kress