Definition of trichotillomania
: an abnormal desire to pull out one's hair
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trichotillomania was our Word of the Day on 07/01/2008. Hear the podcast!
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Recent Examples of trichotillomania from the Web
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Dermatillomania is classified as one of several body-focused repetitive behaviors—a category of compulsive self-grooming activities that also includes trichotillomania, or hair pulling, and nail biting, among others.
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At the same time, her brows were becoming sparser and thinner, due to trichotillomania, a disorder that causes Liams to habitually pull out her hair.
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Either way, trichotillomania is most often a chronic, lifetime condition, but lots of people do recover, and recovery is a team sport.
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Research on both trichophagia and trichotillomania is limited, but treatment options such as therapy and medication are available.
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Only about 30% of people who have trichotillomania will eat their hair, according to medical research, and only about 1% ingest enough hair to cause medical complications or require surgical removal.
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Described as a serious complication of trichotillomania — the disorder in which someone compulsively pulls out their own hair — the syndrome mostly occurs in children and adolescents.
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Or of trichotillomania, the disorder so often co-morbid with OCD that compels me to pull out my hair.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'trichotillomania.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
The word trichotillomania derives from the Greek trich- ("hair") and tillein ("to pull or pluck"), along with the suffix -mania (from mainesthai, meaning "to be mad"). People suffering from trichotillomania will routinely pluck hair from the scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes or other parts of the body, usually impulsively but sometimes with careful deliberation (such as by using tweezers). Some researchers believe that it may be a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder. The word for this condition first appeared in English around the dawn of the 20th century (it's generally thought to have been first coined in French by a French dermatologist).
Origin and Etymology of trichotillomania
New Latin, from trich- + Greek tillein to pull, pluck + New Latin mania
NEW! Time Traveler
First Known Use: circa 1903
in the meaning defined above
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