The Trichotillomania Treatment Guide by Christopher J. Perkins

Author:Christopher J. Perkins
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fachbücher
Publisher: Christopher J. Perkins
Published: 2016-03-05T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 5: Treatment

Fortunately, there are many options which can successfully treat trichotillomania. Some treatment options are self-guided while others require or recommend professional assistance. As each person is different, there is no one size fits all option and thus the following treatment options are worth being explored.

SELF-GUIDED TREATMENT OPTIONS

Natural Herbs

There are a number of herbs which have been found to be helpful in treating trichotillomania and/or related disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). As established above, the DSM-V classifies trichotillomania as related to OCD. It follows that these herbs are helpful in treating trichotillomania.34

1.Matricaria recutita is a natural sedative and is used in Germany to treat anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

2.Kava-Kava has been found to be helpful in treating anxiety, insomnia and OCD. It should be used with caution though as it may hurt the liver.

3.Gotu Kola, often used as a part of Chinese medicine regimens, helps to treat anxiety, depression and OCD.

4.Passiflora helps to treat the anxiety produced by OCD and is sometimes taken with St. John’s Wort.

5.St. John’s Wort is also sometimes used on its own to treat depression and OCD.

Improved self-awareness and alternative action planning

In Chapter 4: Diagnosis, the notion of compiling a list of details about the scope of the disorder in one’s life. The compilation of this information is not just beneficial for a consultation with medical staff. Making notes of how, when, where and under what circumstances that hair pulling occurs can works wonders for many people. Specific information which should be tracked in a journal or on a chart includes: dates, times, locations, number of hairs pulled out, the fate of the pulled hairs, one’s emotional state and the consequences experienced (i.e. bald patch and social embarrassment). Making note of and reviewing this information can help to raise awareness about the scope of the disorder and its impact of one’s life.35

The second prong of this plan is to develop an arsenal of alternative things that the afflicted person can do instead of pulling out their hair. Clinical psychologist Pamela-Stevenson Connolly recommends a 3step approach: notice the urge to pull out hairs, interrupt these urges and thoughts by replacing them with positive thoughts and finally taking an alternative action. Such actions can include reaching out to talk to a friend, engaging in artistic endeavors (i.e. drawing or painting), cleaning or using a physical deterring barrier such as gloves to make plucking the hairs difficult.36

Third, stress should be reduced and one’s self-esteem boosted. It is important to reduce a common trigger of hair pulling (stress) and negative resulting impact on one’s life (poor self-esteem due to bald spots, etc.). Stress reducing activities can include meditation, yoga, martial arts, aerobic or relaxation exercises as well as maintaining regular sleep patterns. Further, documenting a list of the afflicted person’s positive attributes and accomplishments should be done so that these positive thoughts can be referred to in down times. Such reminders can help to reduce stress and help to support efforts to boost self-esteem. Further, having a trusted

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