The Hair-Pulling Problem: A Complete Guide to Trichotillomania

By Fred Penzel

Book Overview

Trichotillomania, one of the family of obsessive-compulsive disorders, may afflict as many as 6 to 8 million people in the United States. Now, a leading authority on obsessive-compulsive disorders, Dr. Fred Penzel, has written the most up-to-date, comprehensive, and authoritative guide to this syndrome available, filled with reassuring advice for patients and their families.
Endorsed by the Trichotillomania Learning Center, the leading advocate group for this disorder, this superb handbook includes all the information a patient or relative would need to understand this illness and to cope with it. Penzel provides a detailed discussion of causes and he reviews all the treatment options, describing the most effective medications and their side effects as well as the recommended cognitive and behavioral treatments. He shows patients how to design a self-help program and gain control of their compulsive behavior, how to prevent relapse, describes trichotillomania and its treatment in children, and suggests coping strategies for families at home and in public situations. He also provides a guide to all the resources available, including internet sites, recommended books, and videos, and outlines ways to start a support group. The appendix will include questionnaires, clinical rating scales, and the official DSM diagnostic criteria for the disorder, so readers can decide if they need to seek behavioral and possibly medical treatment.
Dr. Penzel has helped patients with OCD and trichotillomania for over twenty years and is one of America's leading authorities on these disorders. Drawing on decades of hands-on experience, he has produced the most complete and scientifically accurate handbook available on this disorder, a comforting guide packed with information to help people with trichotillomania get well and stay well.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195149424
• ISBN13: 9780195149425
• Release Date: March 2003
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.5" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Dr. Penzel is Excellent

My 11 year old daughter suffers from Trich, and we recently began working with Dr. Penzel. We can't say enough about how knowledgable he is, caring, and what a calming affect he has on the parent. We are frustrated with how difficult this is to treat in a young child, but hopeful that with Dr. Penzel's help, we can manage and overcome it.

Best book I have read on the subject

My six year old daughter has been dealing with trich for several months now, and I have read a ton of books and internet sites. Dr. Penzel's book is the most comprehensive and helpful. Despite having only one chapter relating specifically to children, it is an extremely helpful one and the rest of the book is very informative about the disorder in general as well. His suggestions for motivating younger children have been particularly valuable to us. His advice to and compassion for parents of children with trich has been a lifeline for me-whenever I feel hopeless or that I am losing patience I go back and re-read it and it helps me a lot. I can't say this book or anything else has gotten trich under control for us yet (as Dr. Penzel explains, treatment can be difficult with such a young child), but it has definitely given us hope and gone a long way in helping us to cope with the disorder ourselves and not make things worse for our child. As far as adults go, I don't have trich so I can't really speak to how helpful it would be for adults who do, but I will say that this is the only book I have read that offers lots of actual specific, practical advice in every area from treatment options to medications to diets, supplements and alternative therapies in an non-biased, factually-based manner. It is certainly the only book I have read that lays out a detailed, specific self-treatment plan. I highly recommend this book to anyone struggling with this difficult disorder.

Informative, educational and covers all the avenues

This book was educational and informative, listing a variety of options and avenues for the possible treatment of Trichotillomania. As a trich patient, I only wish this research and information was available to my parents and myself 36 years ago when I began pulling. Never too late, however, as the behavior modification suggestions and possible medication treatments listed and explored have already started me on my road to controlling my urges and actions. A must read for anyone who may suffer from this disorder, or his or her parent.

Dr. Penzel really understands

This is a great book for those that suffer from Trich and for those that treat it or have a loved one with it. Dr. Penzel has a great knowledge of how suffers feel and I would highly recommend this book to everyone who has been touched by this disorder. Am looking forward to seeing what his next book is.

Thorough and helpful

Fabulous book. Chapters on understanding the condition, the physiology of hair, and guides to finding a helpful therapist or to conducting behavioral modification theraphy yourself. We all know how hard this is, so seek any resources you can find -- this book being a great one.