Trichotillomania: Differences From OCD and Treatment Approaches

Trichotillomania, a disorder involving repetitive hair pulling leading to hair loss, was noted to have a point prevalence of 0.5% to 2.0% in community studies. Although it was classified with OCD in the DSM-5, the article highlighted that trichotillomania and OCD might differ significantly, particularly in treatment approaches. Effective treatments for trichotillomania included habit reversal therapy and medications like n-acetyl cysteine or olanzapine, which differed from those for OCD, as some OCD treatments were ineffective for trichotillomania. The article provided recommendations for managing trichotillomania based on clinical experience and research findings.