What should you know about trichotillomania and ADHD?

Trichotillomania, also called hair-pulling disorder, involves repeated urges or actions to pull hair, sometimes from the scalp, eyebrows, or eyelashes. People may pull automatically while reading, studying, watching television, or feeling bored; others notice a growing tension before pulling and relief afterward. Repeated pulling can leave uneven areas, broken hairs, tenderness, or skin irritation.

ADHD may affect attention, impulse control, restlessness, and awareness of habits. Those features can make an automatic pulling routine harder to interrupt, but ADHD is not proof that a person has trichotillomania. Other explanations for hair loss include rubbing, breakage, scalp disease, and immune-related hair loss, so the pattern deserves a careful review.

Notice the situations, emotions, hand movements, and body areas connected with pulling. Keep nails short, cover or cushion commonly used fingertips, and place a textured object nearby during high-risk activities. These changes reduce opportunity while you work on the habit; they do not replace treatment.

A mental-health clinician can assess hair pulling, ADHD symptoms, anxiety, and related concerns. Behavioural therapy may teach awareness, competing responses, and ways to manage urges. A dermatologist can examine the scalp and distinguish pulled or broken hairs from other causes of <a href="/symptoms/bald-patches/">Bald Patches</a>. Do not shame a child or adult for pulling; calm, specific support is more useful than punishment.

Book an assessment when pulling causes visible hair loss, broken skin, infection signs, or distress that interferes with school, work, sleep, or relationships. Seek urgent help if there are thoughts of self-harm, severe emotional distress, or swallowed hair with abdominal pain, vomiting, or difficulty passing stool.

Could this hair loss be caused by pulling, breakage, or a scalp condition? How should ADHD and hair pulling be assessed together? Which behavioural strategies fit my triggers? What signs would mean the scalp needs review? Who should coordinate dermatology and mental-health care?