Marschall points out that although it’s a self-soothing behavior, people with trichotillomania are not choosing to pull their hair out — the behavior is a symptom of mental health issues.

You may have heard some people say the phrase, “It just makes me want to pull my hair out!” in order to convey the severity of their stress. I know I used to say it a lot when I was younger.

Trichotillomania (TTM) is a mental disorder in which people feel an overwhelming need to pull out their own hair. Research suggests that 0.5 to 2 percent of people have TTM.

People who have the disorder feel an uncontrollable urge to pull out their hair. Read on to learn about the causes and symptoms of trichotillomania, as well as the treatments available.

However, if hair twirling becomes repetitive or develops into pulling out hair, it may indicate that a person has an anxiety disorder. Hair twirling may occur alongside hair pulling.

Many people who struggle with trichotillomania, or compulsive hair pulling, associate hair pulling with anxiety. One study found that out of 894 people struggling with trichotillomania, 84% of ...

One in 50 people compulsively pull out their hair, a mental disorder called trichotillomania. Despite being relatively unknown, trichotillomania is more common than bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

When people with trichotillomania pull their hair, they're often looking for different things. Some people look for the sensation. Some people like to see the hair.

When she was in seventh grade, she also started pulling out her hair. “For a while my skin picking was under the radar, but it was because I was pulling my hair,” she says.