This definitive new self-help guide offers help to the millions of Americans who suffer from trichotillomania, an obsessive-compulsive disorder that leads them to pull out their hair.

There is still scant clinical information on trichotillomania. This book fills the need for a full-length cognitive-behavioral treatment manual. The authors share their considerable expertise in treating body-focused repetitive behavior disorders (not only hair-pulling but skin-picking and nail-biting as well) in an accessible, clinically valid reference. This is the first comprehensive, clinical, and empirically-based volume to address these disorders.

The phenomenon of trichotillomania, or hair pulling, has been observed for centuries. The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates noted hair pulling as one of the many symptoms that the physician was advised to assess as a routine matter. In our present time and culture, "pulling one's hair out" is more typically referred to in the context of depression, frustration, boredom, or other emotional turmoil. In truth, hair pulling is a highly prevalent behavior that may be associated with significant morbidity. Edited by experts in the field, Trichotillomania addresses the importance of the study of hair pulling from both a clinical and a research perspective. Documenting the clinical phenomenology, morbidity, and management of trichotillomania, it discusses the phenomenology of childhood trichotillomania, providing a comprehensive description of its symptoms and sequelae. Of particular value for the clinician are contributions on the assessment of trichotillomania and a detailed cognitive-behavioral treatment plan. The uses of medication, the place of a psychodynamic perspective, the value of behavioral interventions, and the role of hypnotherapy are also thoroughly discussed. This discerning text further documents the significance of research on trichotillomania for obtaining a broader understanding of complex brain-behavior relationships. While recent research has suggested that hair pulling lies on the spectrum of obsessive-compulsive disorder, a range of evidence is presented that indicates important differences between trichotillomania and OCD. As such, attention by clinicians to hair pulling may be of enormous value to patients, whose condition was previously unrecognized, while leading to a better understanding of the range of OCD-like disorders.

A Parent Guide to Hair Pulling Disorder: Effective Parenting Strategies for Children (formerly, "Stay Out of My Hair") with Trichotillomania is a guide for parents of children with compulsive hair pulling, or trichotillomania, that explains the nature and causes of the problem and methods for treatment and obtaining help. The book also addresses the particular challenges facing parents in dealing with this little known and misunderstood behavior, which is common among children and adolescents

Underestimated, under-researched, and often poorly understood, the body-focused repetitive disorders nevertheless cause human suffering that is serious, persistent, and pervasive. These disorders can occur in both adults and children and manifest themselves as hair pulling (trichotillomania), pathologic skin picking, thumb sucking, and nail biting. Although these disorders are common, very few medical students and residents hear them addressed in lectures or know where to begin when confronted with a patient presenting with these behaviors. Trichotillomania, Skin Picking, and Other Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors seeks to remedy this situation by synthesizing the latest research on body-focused repetitive disorders and presenting it in a systematic, easy-to-grasp manner. Much has changed in the more than a decade since the last book on this topic was published. This new volume reflects the most current and substantive research into the etiology and symptoms of body-focused repetitive disorders and therapeutic options. Organized in logical fashion, it begins with a review of the clinical characteristics, moves on to diagnosis and evaluation, and concludes with a full review of treatment options. Special features include: Extensive material to help clinicians and patients understand the underlying purpose of engaging in these behaviors, which include, reducing tension, regulating strong emotion, and alleviating boredom. Separate chapters on adults and children, who may have a different presentation and a different set of treatment options. An additional chapter focuses on the role of the child patient's family in the diagnosis and treatment of the disorder. Thorough coverage of the full range of treatments -- including psychotherapy, medication, and alternative treatments -- which provides the clinician with an evidence-based approach to treating patients. Discussion of the psychobiology of hair pulling and skin picking, which allows the reader to understand and contextualize the disorder from a neurological perspective and offers clues that may assist in optimizing treatment. A presentation style that is detailed enough for clinicians, yet accessible enough for a lay audience, including patients with the disorder and the families who seek to understand and support them. Trichotillomania, Skin Picking, and Other Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors fills a critical gap in the literature by addressing this common and frequently debilitating disorder in an utterly current, highly practical, and wholly compassionate manner.

Trichotillomania (TTM) is a complex disorder that has long been considered difficult to treat as few effective therapeutic options exist. The empirically-supported treatment approach described in this innovative guide blends traditional behavior therapy elements of habit reversal training and stimulus control techniques with the more contemporary behavioral elements of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). With this breakthrough approach, clients learn to be aware of their pulling and warning signals, use self-management strategies for stopping and preventing pulling, stop fighting against their pulling-related urges and thoughts, and work toward increasing their quality of life.

Tics, trichotillomania, and habits such as thumb-sucking and nail-biting tend to resist traditional forms of therapy. Their repetitiveness, however, makes these dissimilar disorders particularly receptive to behavioral treatment. Now in soft cover for the first time, this is the most comprehensive guide to behavioral treatment for these common yet understudied disorders. Tic Disorders is geared to researchers but accessible to to patients and their families as well.