Trichotillomania (TTM), or compulsive hair pulling, is a disorder that typically onsets
in childhood. It is mistaken to believe that children will “age out” of this behavior,
as pediatric TTM often has a chronic, debilitating course that does not remit without
treatment, resulting in considerable psychological and physical impairment. Because
most children with TTM will be seen initially by nursing professionals in the practices
of dermatologists, pediatricians, gastroenterologists, and other disciplines, raising
nurses' awareness of this disorder is of the utmost importance for accurate nursing
diagnosis and assessment. As the health care providers who spend the greatest amount
of time with patients, nurses' detection and diagnosis of TTM can make a critical
difference in the initiation of early intervention. Therefore, the purpose of this
article is to provide an overview of pediatric TTM, including its epidemiology, clinical
presentation, and treatment options, from the perspective of nurses who may interact
with such patients in their workplace.
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: March 09, 2011
Footnotes
1No previous presentations or publications of this work exist. No extramural funding or commercial financial support aided in the preparation of this article.
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© 2012 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
