Indagine preliminare inerente le caratteristiche fenomenologiche della tricotillomania in un gruppo clinico

Trichotillomania is a scarcely known and underdiagnosed disorder characterised by hair-pulling and is currently classified in the DSM-5 «Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders» category. Its incidence is about 1-2% and the male-female ratio is estimated to be 1:10. Despite individuals suffering from trichotillomania reporting significant impairments in social functioning, to date no studies or measures investigating its phenomenology in a clinical sample have been developed in the Italian context. This study aims at a preliminary investigation of the phenomenology of this disorder in 45 hair-pullers through the online administration of an ad hoc questionnaire, the Italian Hair Pulling Questionnaire. 68.9% of participants reported pulling their hair more than once a day, and 84.4% referred to the presence of bald areas. Moreover, 44% of participants reported experiencing intense distress and avoiding pleasant activities (48.9%) because of hair-pulling. These findings are in line with those reported in international studies. This research assessed the phenomenology of trichotillomania by means of an ad hoc questionnaire, thus results rely on a non-standardised measure; nonetheless, it represents the first Italian study attempting to investigate such a disorder.