Christina Pearson was half-bald at age 13. She just couldn’t stop pulling her hair, and ended up taking out every lock from the tops of her ears to the crown of her head.
“It was absolutely terrifying because I was a very bright child, and doing great in school,” she said. “The doctor had no idea what it was.”
Pearson continued pulling her hair throughout her teens, 20s, and early 30s. It wasn’t until she was 33 that she learned her condition had a name: trichotillomania. She became inspired to start an organization, called the Trichotillomania Learning Center, to help other sufferers of the disorder.
It turns out that this condition, characterized by the urge to pull hair from one’s body, affects about 2 to 4 percent of the population, according to the Trichotillomania Learning Center.
A new study published this week in the Archives of General Psychiatry may hold promise for those who compulsively pull their hair. Researchers say participants who took an antioxidant called N-acetylcysteine, sold over the counter at vitamin stores, had significant improvement over patients who took placebos.
The dietary supplement used in the study is known for its benefits to the kidneys and liver, said lead author Dr. John Grant at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, who is on the advisory board of the Trichotillomania Learning Center. More recently it has been shown to affect glutamate, a chemical messenger in the brain that seems to be involved in compulsive repetitive behaviors, he said.
The sample size was small — 50 people — but the study has generated enthusiasm among trichotillomania researchers.