Trichotillomania is a compulsive disorder where the sufferer feels compelled to pull or pluck out their own hair, from the head, eyebrows, eyelashes or anywhere else on the body.
This cause of hair loss in children is possibly the most distressing for parents, as it is the child his or herself who is pulling out their own hair. However, as many parents don’t see the child practising this habit, they often find it hard to believe that their child has the condition.
Symptoms
If you see areas of hair loss on your child’s head (and it is on the left for right-handed children or the right for left-handed children), start to check on your child at bedtime or when he/she is watching the television. These are likely times for the habit to emerge.
Causes
Trichotillomania in children is often triggered by long-term stress or tension in your child’s life, such as bullying at school or a death in the family.
Treatment
The good news is that many pre-school age children outgrow trichotillomania without treatment, but counselling or Habit Reversal Training (HRT) can be very helpful for older children. Human hair wigs can be used to restore the child’s confidence until the hair grows back.