Guide To Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors

Trichotillomania

Another common compulsion attributed to body-focused repetitive behaviors is trichotillomania. This compulsion is when someone starts pulling their hair out of their scalp. While the hair does not have to actually leave the scalp to be considered trichotillomania, and instead the hair just needs to be pulled, it is typical for someone suffering from this compulsion to pull their hair right from their head. Obviously, this is quite damaging to the scalp. Not only can make it their scalp bleed, which could lead to infection and other dangerous problems, but it can also result in early baldness. Since the compulsion is performed because of a perceived flaw in their hair, if they tug their hair out and develop a bald spot, then they may be more inclined to pull their hair out repeatedly because the flaw has expanded. Even without direct removal of the hair, pulling on it can damage the roots. This can cause the hair to either appear weak or have a tendency to fall out quickly.

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Trichophagia

While most individuals likely do whatever they can to remove it if they feel as though they have a hair in their mouth, individuals who suffer from body-focused repetitive behaviors might actually choose to eat the hair instead. This compulsion is known as trichophagia. While trichophagia can sometimes occur because of a deficiency in protein or other aspects of nutrition, for patients who suffer from body-focused repetitive behaviors, the compulsion is usually performed because of a perceived imperfection in their hair. This can sometimes be coupled with tugging their hair out of the scalp and then ingesting it.

Eating hair isn't a good thing. The body cannot breakdown or dissolve hair that easily. Much like a cat, it can ball up inside the body and cause quite a few problems. In some cases, patients may need to have surgery to remove the ball of hair from their stomach. It can also cause them to choke, which can damage their esophagus. Therapy can be used to unlearn the behavior and adopt a better one.

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