Types of Trichotillomania

The two main types of trichotillomania are generally classified into obsessive-compulsive disorder and habitual act. Obsessive compulsive disorders are triggered by ideas and thoughts that can cause so much distress and anxiety that leads to hair pulling.

Obsessive compulsion can also lead to paranoia exacerbating the hair pulling symptom. For example, a trichotillomania sufferer can believe they have 'bad hairs' resulting in the constant act of hair pulling causing hair loss or baldness that is highly visible.

The other type of trichotillomania is usually the continued or habitual act of hair pulling after the treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder. To a lesser extent habit alone is seldomly the lone cause of trichotillomania and there is usually some underlying physiological or psychological cause.