Adult men and women with trichotillomania. A comparison of male and female characteristics.

Trichotillomania (hair pulling) has been considered a disorder that primarily affects women. It is rarely reported in men. Such rarity may reflect distinct clinical features in men that call for different treatment strategies. To investigate potential gender differences in trichotillomania, the authors systematically assessed the descriptive and phenomenological characteristics as well as psychiatric comorbidity of 14 male hair pullers and compared them to 128 female hair pullers who had been similarly assessed. Although a few gender differences existed, male trichotillomania was very similar to that seen in women. These results suggest that gender-specific treatment is not justified at this time; however, a more thorough psychiatric screening should be done with men because they may have additional psychiatric comorbidity.