TLDR An 11-year-old girl with a hair-pulling disorder had a hairball in her stomach and was treated with medication, therapy, and a team of doctors.
The document discusses a case of an 11-year-old female diagnosed with Trichotillomania (TTM), an anxiety disorder characterized by repetitive hair pulling, and trichophagia, the act of eating hair. The patient presented with abdominal pain and thinning hair, mainly in the frontoparietal areas. She was found to have a gastric trichobezoar, a complication of TTM and trichophagia. Treatment included a shampoo for thin hair, multivitamins with iron supplements, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and cognitive-behavioural therapy. The case emphasizes the need for a multidisciplinary team, including dermatologists, psychiatrists, and general surgeons, for effective diagnosis and management of TTM and trichophagia.
219 citations
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September 2016 in “American Journal of Psychiatry” Trichotillomania is different from OCD and is best treated with habit reversal therapy and specific medications.
28 citations
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January 2015 in “Skin appendage disorders” Children with trichotillomania often pull hair from their scalp, and parents may not notice; stress can trigger it, and asking detailed questions helps in diagnosis and treatment.
May 2022 in “European medical journal” An 11-year-old girl with Trichotillomania developed a large hairball in her stomach, treated with medication, therapy, and family education.
January 2006 in “Journal of Rural Medicine” Trichotillomania is more common than previously thought, with increasing diagnosed cases.
22 citations
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May 2011 in “American Journal of Clinical Dermatology” Recognizing and managing skin-related psychiatric disorders in children is crucial for effective treatment.
January 2018 in “Elsevier eBooks” The document concludes that alopecia has various forms, each with specific treatments, but no definitive cure for certain types like CCCA has been proven.
May 2025 in “Frontiers in Pharmacology” New treatments are needed for non-scarring alopecia due to current limitations.
