Preliminary investigation into the phenomenological characteristics of trichotillomania in a clinical group
Silvia Cerea, Gioia Bottesi, Claudio Sica, Marta Ghisi
Trichotillomania is a scarcely known and underdiagnosed disorder characterised by hair-pulling and is
currently classified in the DSM-5 «Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders» category. Its incidence
is about 1-2% and the male-female ratio is estimated to be 1:10. Despite individuals suffering from
trichotillomania reporting significant impairments in social functioning, to date no studies or measures
investigating its phenomenology in a clinical sample have been developed in the Italian context. This
study aims at a preliminary investigation of the phenomenology of this disorder in 45 hair-pullers
through the online administration of an ad hoc questionnaire, the Italian Hair Pulling Questionnaire.
68.9% of participants reported pulling their hair more than once a day, and 84.4% referred to the
presence of bald areas. Moreover, 44% of participants reported experiencing intense distress and
avoiding pleasant activities (48.9%) because of hair-pulling. These findings are in line with those
reported in international studies. This research assessed the phenomenology of trichotillomania by
means of an ad hoc questionnaire, thus results rely on a non-standardised measure; nonetheless, it
represents the first Italian study attempting to investigate such a disorder.
Keywords
Trichotillomania, Phenomenology, Clinical sample, DSM-5, Italian population.
