Duke University has identified two gene "mutations" associated with hair-pulling, a behaviour that is known as "trichotillomania", a rather ridiculous and melodramatic psychiatric term.

http://www.dukemednews.duke.edu/news/art...hp?id=9887

This is relevant to AS and autism because this habit is often associated with autism, even though this article does not mention this association. Perhaps the genes identified are also "autism genes"?

It's an interesting question as to why the association between autism and hair-pulling was consicuously not mentioned in this article. I think the authors deliberately left autism out of the article so as not to alarm people. Autism is a word that seems to provoke hysteria and irrational concern.

These researchers appear to be trying to convince us that it is a bad thing that hair-pulling "often goes undiagnosed and untreated", but when you read the article you find out that "Currently, there is no specific treatment for trichotillomania..."

So what's the point of diagnosing, then? I think these thoughtless boffins just want to identify prosepctive subjects who they can study, with no thought at all for the implications of stigmatizing people, who only have a harmless and inconsequential habit, with a psychiatric label. According to the article up to 5% of the population are (mostly untreated and undiagnosed) hair pullers, but the article makes Trich sound like some major public health menace. To call hair-pulling a mental illness, as this article does, is to grossly trivialize REAL mental illnesses that cause real suffering and many serious problems in the community a large, like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, Alzheimers and clinical depression.

I think the only practical innovations that may result from this research will be advances in identifying the genes for conditions that go along with trich, such as autism and Tourette's, and possibly also a prenatal test specifically for trichotillomania, that may one day be part of a barrage of many different genetic screening tests that doctors will expect all pregnant women to take during early preganacy. Lili Marlene is a hair-puller from way back. No more Lili Marlenes. Bugger.

My son does this and I do see it as a problem.   It is part of a pattern of self harming where he hits himself even using other objects to increase the pain sensation. At his age I can prevent him from pulling out his eyelashes, head hair but as he reaches his teens, I am hoping he will have found some internal way to control this impulse.  I don't see how anyone can come up with "cures" or "treatments" without researching.  OCD wasnt widely recognised until the mid 90's I'm told.  I am so glad it was researched then as the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy which has resulted has given my son much improved quality of life. He's still my little man but without having OCD ruling his every waking moment.


As to the link between Autism and tricythingy not being mentioned.  I wonder if it is because they have found a high percentage of NTs who also have trichotillomania.  If it's unique to ASD it should have been mentioned. Couldn't they think of a smaller name?

I think our focus should be on educating "normal" people that mental illness doesnt mean we could all qualify for a role in "one flew over the cuckoos nest".  I have always tried to be really positive about my son's OCD, I heard one parent call it their "dirty little secret" and vowed OCD or my son would never be that.  This year I have held my head high and told people he has it. I have researched lots of positive role models who also have it.  I'll be doing the same with his ASD diagnosis.

My son isnt ashamed of it but tells people quite openly he has it. I think we have to shout loudly how fantastic people with mental health issues are that they can be a valuable contribution to society, which isnt always accepting or understanding of them, despite the difficulties and for that deserve more respect and admiration.

Why build a bomb and not use it?

I do have that habit myself... I've found that getting a buzz cut is a really effective treatment--you can't get a good grip on your hair anymore! It might be radical for a girl; but your boy wouldn't look bad that way. Just be sure the clippers don't make him go nuts--that's one heck of an annoying sound.

My own hair grew out (after I originally shaved it) and now covers my ears; but I still don't pull at it--I seem to have lost the habit. Unfortunately I have shifted to other hair--eyebrows, eyelashes--but for some reason I don't feel nearly as tempted to pull out hair that's still properly attached; I just kind of tug at it now.

Anyway, that's an idea for your boy--a really short haircut might get him used to not pulling; or else a shaved head... (I used hair-removal cream, because razors are SO easy to cut yourself with. But hair-removal cream irritates the skin... So... yeah, your choice.)

Also, most Aspies' blood-type is "A".

Mine is "A"!

I always thought I did it by will rather than because of what my genes were making me do.

He wanted to grow it - I can see why now :-)  I'll have to pursuade him that babe magnets have short hair ggg.  Now what can I do about hitting himself on the head.   I tell you what though he has a good sense of humour. He had a hissy fit last night, I went upstairs to find "blood" on his head - went into a panicy state, thinking this time he had really hurt himself -  to find it was tomato sauce. Little git!!!! ggggggg

I always thought it was a bad habbit like biting my nails or something like that. I consider it a problem, and self-control is the only "cure" known, and it's really, really hard (at least for me).

I pull out one hair at a time when im nervous or bored, i also obsessivly pluck my eyebrows, it pisses me off though cause it seems like they need to be plucked every god damn day!

I used to love pulling out my hair and taking a look at the hair's big white bulbs. One time, I plucked my eyebrows halfway, but they grew back fast. My aspie friend did the same thing bfore picture day at school.

Thats exactly why i like to pull out my hair LOL.

I have it a bit and mostly pull out eyelashes (but not to the degree that it's really noticeable). Anxiety leads to more hairpulling, and if I get really agitated, I pull out a lot of hair. Fortunately, I am not doing it as much as a few years ago.

Lili Marlene, I don't think women should be forced to have intrusive pre-natal tests but unfortunately, there is a fair amount of pressure put on older mothers in particular to have amniocentesis and CVS. Both of these procedures carry a small but appreciable risk of causing a miscarriage, which is very bad news.

These days Down's syndrome can be detected with a moderate degree of accuracy with ultrasound scans in early pregnancy, and that doesn't pose any more of a risk of miscarriage than any scan (which isn't risky nor invasive). It seems to be pretty much a standard part of care during pregnancy.

These days they can easily count the number of fingers and toes and determine the sex of the foetus using ultrasound. They can do much more than that, they can monitor blood flow through particular foetal arteries to check for placental insufficiency, and they can watch blood circulating inside the foetal heart, to check for heart defects. They can plot the growth of a foetus in detail by doing multiple scans. These days a foetus can keep few secrets from the ultrasound machine. I think many cases of genetic syndromes could be detected using scans alone, as many of the signs and defects associated with genetic syndomes can easily be detected with skilled ultrasound scanning. Invasive and risky procedures need not be the first form of screening done, but they may need to be done to confim suspicions.

I've no issue with the use of scans themselves, just the more invasive procedures.

i banged my head yesterday
i have dried blood on my head.