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Hairpulling, also known as trichotillomania, is a body-focused repetitive behaviour (BFRB) that typically begins in early adolescence. Hairpulling can happen from anywhere on the body, including the scalp, eyelashes and eyebrows.
The new paper, published in JCPP Advances, looked at the severity of hairpulling, and the symptoms of depression and anxiety in 128 adolescents aged 13-18 years old who pull their hair. Study participants filled out an online survey. Despite adolescence being a critical age for the emergence of hairpulling, most research has focused on adults, leading to a gap in understanding.
Researchers, supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre and NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Oxford and Thames Valley, found that young people who self-identified with hair pulling disorder had high levels of shame, depression and anxiety. That shame significantly predicted anxiety and depression symptoms like low mood, loneliness, feeling nervous and on edge.
Read the full story on the Department of Psychiatry website.