Support for trich to be rolled out in Australia

In 2014 Ms Reneta Slikboer, a PhD candidate from the Swinbourne University of Technology in Australia, embarked on her Doctoral research with a focus on understanding trichotillomania. The aim of the study was to understand the psychological mechanisms that  contribute to maintaining trichotillomania and how they predict symptom severity. Previously thought to be a rare condition, it is now estimated that about 1% of the population experiences this disorder. Recognized for the first time as a clinical condition in 2013 in the diagnostic and statistical manual (DSM5), researechers are now sitting up and taking notice of condition that can be severly debilitating for many sufferers. According to Reneta:

We know that people with trich experience a lot of distress in the form of anxiety, depression, embarrassment, shame, and guilt but we don’t know why they pull their hair out

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Support groups to be launched across Australia

Based on the success of a pilot study that Ms Slikboer ran as part of her research, she is establishing support groups across Australia for people with trich. People who compulsively pull out their hair will now receive the support they urgently need through a network of support groups being set up throughout Australia. Watch the video to find out more and find contact information for the researcher here.