What is Trichotillomania?

Trichotillomania is an impulse control disorder which compels a person to pull out hair from various areas of their body, mainly the scalp, eyelashes and eyebrows.  Most people nowadays pronounce it TRICK-Oh-till-oh-mania.

The affectionate term for a person who has trichotillomania is “trichster” (pronounced trickster).

True life tale about a teacher with trichotillomania.

How many people are affected by trichotillomania?

It is estimated that approximately 3% of the world's population is affected by the disorder in some way. You'll know how many children you teach each year, so you can estimate how often you might be in a position to help a child to cope with trichotillomania.

Here at Trichotillomania Support, we provide a safe zone where adults and children can confide, create, recover and discover using interactive, cutting-edge technology, the power to challenge and change, beliefs and behaviours that may have previously lead to hair or eyelash pulling. Our facilities include Live CHAT, children's message boards, buddying, coaching and coaxing.

The abbreviated term for Trichotillomania here is trich (pronounced trick) and people with the disorder are known within our community as trichsters. TrichSTARS are those who are more than 100 days pull free.