This is a good story offering a lot of information on trichotillomania. I am posting an excerpt but be sure to read the whole thing:
"Christina Pearson was half-bald at age 13. She just couldn't stop pulling her hair, and ended up taking out every lock from the tops of her ears to the crown of her head.
"It was absolutely terrifying because I was a very bright child, and doing great in school," she said. "The doctor had no idea what it was."
Pearson continued pulling her hair throughout her teens, 20s, and early 30s. It wasn't until she was 33 that she learned her condition had a name: trichotillomania. She became inspired to start an organization, called the Trichotillomania Learning Center, to help other sufferers of the disorder.
It turns out that this condition, characterized by the urge to pull hair from one's body, affects about 2 to 4 percent of the population, according to the Trichotillomania Learning Center.
A new study published this week in the Archives of General Psychiatry may hold promise for those who compulsively pull their hair. Researchers say participants who took an antioxidant called N-acetylcysteine, sold over the counter at vitamin stores, had significant improvement over patients who took placebos."
source: http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/07/13/hair.pulling.trichotillomania/index...