5. Trichotillomania – Hair Pulling
People who suffer from Trichotillomania typically suffer from other underlying conditions such as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. They feel compelled to pull out their hair to the point where they’ll get bald patches all over.
In some cases, the addict could pull hair from other areas- their eyebrows, pubic hair, leg hair, you name it. For them, loved ones may not realize that there’s an issue, especially if they can’t see the bald spots.
Obviously, such an addiction can have an impact on a person’s professional or social life. In the case of the latter, if the afflicted person is unhappy with their appearance caused by their addiction they may distance themselves from their friends or family.
Even when treatment is sought and the person suffering from Trichotillomania is actively trying to fight their addiction, relapses can happen quite often and they’re difficult to deal with. For example, it’s common for Trichotillomaniacs to shave their hair and keep it as short as possible. This is all in order to give the hair enough time to grow and heal itself. If the sufferer reaches a certain length goal and then relapses, having to go back to shaving, all of their progress might feel useless.
