Trichotillomania in Children: A Review
FORTUNE V. MANNINO PH.D.1, and
RAFAEL A. DELGADO M.D.2
1 Research social worker, Mental Health Study Center, National Institute of Mental Health, 2340 University Blvd. East, Adelphi, Md. 20783
2 Training director in child psychiatry, Child Center, Catholic University of America, Washington, D. C., and consultant to the Mental Health Study Center
Trichotillomania in children is not a common occurrence. It appears to occur more frequently in girls than in boys, however, and cuts across all ages and a wide range of nosological categories. Emotional deprivation in the maternal relationship during early years appears to contribute significantly to the development of the symptom, with the most intense conflict between the child and the original love object. Trichotillomania as a symptom may take on different meanings at different levels of development, with the original meaning becoming obscured and less significant in later years.
