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- $Unique_ID{BRK01213}
- $Pretitle{}
- $Title{ACROSS MY DESK: More on Hair Pulling}
- $Subject{hair pulling update skin subcutaneous tissue trichotillomania
- depression obsessive compulsive disorder psychiatric syndrome anafril
- clomipramine prozac fluoxetine mental emotional psychological condition
- conditions pull depressed obsessed}
- $Volume{L-20,E-20}
- $Log{}
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- Copyright (c) 1991-92,1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
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- ACROSS MY DESK: More On Hair Pulling
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- My mail is overloaded with material on the strange affliction called
- "trichotillomania" since I responded to a question about it in a recent
- column. An article in the July issue of the Journal of the American Academy
- of Dermatology, by Dr. Sigrid A. Muller, dermatologist at the Mayo Clinic,
- reports the results of a ten year study carried out on 174 patients. Seen
- most frequently in women under the age of 39 (80 percent) it is associated
- with depression. When it becomes chronic and extensive it may be classified
- as an obsessive compulsive disorder. A helpful letter from Dr. Mark
- Prochaska, a psychiatrist from Prairie Village, Kansas puts it into
- perspective. He writes, "I want to add to your answer based on research and
- information which was discussed at the recent American Psychiatric Association
- Meeting in New York City. I believe the latest research is showing
- trichotillomania to be a subtype of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, or at least
- closely related to that psychiatric syndrome. In any event, treatment has
- been quite successful with Anafril (clomipramine) and/or Prozac (fluoxetine).
- Both these medications, which are quite successfully used in treating
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, have been found also quite helpful with
- trichotillomania, I feel that a trial of one of the aforementioned medications
- could be quite helpful to your questioner." Thank you for your assistance,
- Dr. Prochaska, and permission to publish your letter.
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- The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
- the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your
- doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
- problem.
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