Pulling of Hair While Sleeping: a Pediatric Case

Trichotillomania, defined as an irresistible urge to pull and pluck one’s own hair, is categorized as an impulse control disorder not otherwise speci-fied in DSM-IV-TR. This behavior is performed in response to a number of emotions such as increasing temper or anxiety and gives resultant tension relief. Our case is an 11-year-old boy who showed signs of pulling his hair overnight and bed-wetting when he was sleeping. Polysomnography was performed on him overnight during sleep to differentiate epileptic discharge, for a differential diagnosis. The results were within normal limits. The initial diagnosis of trichotillomania was dis-cussed and we concluded that it would be more appropriate to evaluate the case under the diagno-sis of parasomnia.