10-Pound Hairball Pulled From Girl's Stomach

Psychological Illness and Depression

In the vast majority of cases, the effects are psychological. Patients are ashamed of their behavior, and depression can result -- although doctors are not sure whether it is caused by the trichotillomania itself or by the problem in the brain that leads to the illness. The condition can also leave patients with bald spots or repetitive stress injuries.

But even with those effects, people with the disease are reluctant to come forward.

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Franklin explains the mindset of many children as "I know I'm doing something that's unusual, I'm ashamed of it, I don't want to tell anybody."

But by observing their children to see if they pull out hair excessively and by laying out the complications of excessive hair-pulling, he said parents can go a long way toward helping.

But, Franklin added, they need to avoid sounding accusatory.

"You won't get an accurate answer from a kid who feels stressed out and on the spot when you ask those questions," he said.

But Franklin notes it isn't easy. He said he has seen cases of a husband and wife where the husband was unaware that his wife was pulling out her hair while he was asleep.

Dougherty notes that many cases are not identified by the parents but are caught by the dermatologist when the parents bring their children in worrying about hair loss or a potential skin problem.

Doctors say that parent awareness is the key to helping children with trichotillomania, and they can benefit by more media attention, spotlighting a potentially embarrassing but not uncommon condition.

"There's a lot of shame and a lot of reasons kids want to keep it to themselves," said Franklin. "This is fairly common and treatable, and something that's not so shameful."

For More on the Web:

Trichotillomania Learning Center