Banafshi Zhina, Khatony Alireza
Student Research Committee, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
Infectious Diseases Research Centre, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
BMC Psychol. 2025 Sep 26;13(1):1040. doi: 10.1186/s40359-025-03427-z.
Trichotillomania (TTM) is a common psychiatric disorder characterized by a recurrent, irresistible urge to pull out one's hair. This disorder has widespread adverse physical, psychological, social, and emotional effects on the lives of those affected, yet these experiences are under-documented. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of individuals with TTM in Iran.
In this phenomenological study, 12 individuals with TTM (with a mean age of 26.1 ± 6.3 and consisting of seven women and five men) were selected using purposive sampling. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and analyzed using Colaizzi's seven-step method. Lincoln and Guba's (2004) criteria were used to ensure trustworthiness, and data management was performed using MAXQDA 2020 software.
The experiences of individuals with TTM were categorized into six main themes and 23 sub-themes. The main themes included The Compulsion Loop - Trapped in Repetitive Urges, Emotional Struggles, Identity and Socio-Cultural Pressures, The Body as Battlefield - Physical and Psychological Consequences, Journey Towards Recovery and Barriers to the path of recovery.
Individuals with TTM experience intense internal conflict with wide-ranging psychological and social consequences. They are trapped in this destructive behavior due to the immediate gratification derived from hair pulling and tend to conceal the disorder due to social stigma. While some individuals improve through self-regulation and coping strategies such as cognitive behavioral therapy and habit reversal training, others become trapped in a cycle of failure through self-sabotaging defense mechanisms. Increased public awareness, psychosocial support, and the provision of effective therapeutic interventions, such as cognitive behavioral therapy and habit reversal training, are recommended to facilitate the recovery process for these individuals.
拔毛癖（TTM）是一种常见的精神障碍，其特征是反复出现、无法抗拒的拔毛冲动。这种障碍对患者的生活产生广泛的不良身体、心理、社会和情感影响，但这些经历的记录并不充分。本研究旨在探讨伊朗拔毛癖患者的生活经历。
在这项现象学研究中，采用目的抽样法选取了12名拔毛癖患者（平均年龄26.1±6.3岁，其中7名女性和5名男性）。通过深入的半结构化访谈收集数据，并使用科莱齐的七步法进行分析。采用林肯和古巴（2004年）的标准确保可信度，并使用MAXQDA 2020软件进行数据管理。
拔毛癖患者的经历分为六个主要主题和23个子主题。主要主题包括强迫循环——陷入重复冲动、情感挣扎、身份认同和社会文化压力、身体成为战场——身体和心理后果、康复之旅以及康复道路上的障碍。
拔毛癖患者经历着强烈的内心冲突，产生广泛的心理和社会后果。他们因拔毛带来的即时满足感而陷入这种破坏性行为，且由于社会 stigma 往往隐瞒这种障碍。虽然一些人通过自我调节和认知行为疗法、习惯逆转训练等应对策略有所改善，但另一些人则通过自我破坏防御机制陷入失败的循环。建议提高公众意识、提供心理社会支持以及提供认知行为疗法和习惯逆转训练等有效治疗干预措施，以促进这些患者的康复过程。
