TRICHOTILLOMANIA
(MANIA TO PULL HAIR)

Case of a young lady, aged 25 years,
Working in a government job.

It was the patient’s mother who first came to me to inquire whether her daughter who had been suffering from trichotillomania i.e. pulling and plucking of hair for the last 15 years could be cured or not. She told me that they have tried allopathic, ayurvedic and even homoeopathic medicine. When nothing seemed to work then they even visited holy places to pray to God and finally took help from a Sadhu (a holy person who is believed to help people by meditation , herbs, and also with some tantrik (mystical) way) but nothing helped her daughter.

I asked her to send her daughter to me and assured her that I will try my best to help her.

She came to me accompanied by her mother. I examined her head – which she had covered with a Wig (a covering for the head made of real or artificial hair) and saw patches of baldness spread on vertex, occipital and around the ears. When I asked her to tell me about her sickness, she remained quiet. Then her mother narrated her sickness.

I gave her medicine on account of the symptoms gathered from her mother’s narration. But there was no relief. I tried two-three medicines but could not get any result.

Her mother used to accompany her every time. One day I asked her to visit me alone.

She came to me on 16.8.96. I asked to explain in detail when and how did her problem start?

She told that her problem started when she was studying in the 4th standard. That time her mother suffered a serious heart attack and being the elder one (out of 3 sisters) she had to look after the house, helping her younger sisters along with her studies. It was hard for her to manage all the things being so young but even then she tried to complete all the work. Instead of appreciating her hard work her parents used to abuse and slap her if she faltered. They always criticized her for no fault of hers. She had a very tough time. Since then she developed this habit of pulling and then plucking her hair. She started wearing a wig as there was little hair left on the scalp. Because she had developed the habit of plucking her she kept on plucking the remaining ones by putting her finger into the wig from behind her ears.

She had also noticed some behavioral changes in her during that period. She had become violent and used to abuse others when she got angry.

I took the rubric:’ DELUSIONS, tormented she is’, which has two medicines: China and Lyssin. I thought of giving Lyssin to that girl because she was tormented by her parents i.e. upon whom she was dependant.

I gave her a single dose of Lyssin 30 and asked her to report to me after two weeks.

But to my surprise she came the very next morning and said, “I am amazed by what have you given to me. I did not pluck even a single hair since yesterday.” I advised her to wait and watch for some more days.No medicine was repeated or changed.

On her next visit after a week, she was very cheerful and happy that she had not plucked even a single hair.

Many years have passed and she is free from her habit of pulling her hair.