Interestingly enough, Trichsters don't respond as well to OCD medication than those who suffer with OCD itself, suggesting that Trich isn't as similar to OCD as previously thought. As well, cognitive-behavioural therapies for OCD are not as successful in Trich patients.
Cognitive-behavioural therapy involves resisting the urge to compulse. The anxiety goes up (because the patient is not compulsing) and eventually the anxiety goes down. When this same pattern is repeated with Trichsters, the anxiety does not decrease, but continues to increase until hair is pulled.
This seems to beg the question, is hair pulling then the problem? Or is anxiety itself the problem? OCD patients compulse because they have fearful thoughts such as , "If I don't do this a number of times, something bad will happen." Trichsters however do not engage in any fearful thoughts, quite the contrary they feel remorse after pulling.
On a personal note, I think that if anxiety can be under control, then pulling can be under control. I'm beginning to think that trying to resist hair pulling is not the solution, but trying to rid of anxiety is (by other means than pulling).
Works Cited:
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-244X/5/2
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