Trichotillomania in Dementia: A Case Report and Literature Review

Abstract

Introduction: Dementia presents with a variety of behavioral and psychiatric disorders, including a range of psychosis, anxiety, depression, behavioral aggression, and delirium. Case Presentation: This study aimed to report a 74-year-old man showing gradually progressive deterioration in his memory for five years. The patient developed trichotillomania (TTM) subsequent to his dementia. Neuropsychological examination indicated the deficits to be more predominantly in the frontal lobe. Conclusions: This study reviewed the literature on TTM in dementia case reports that had mostly investigated the cases of right-handed men aged > 65 years. TTM Patients with underlying disease had not any improvement. Although there was some heterogeneous evidence for the presence of brain abnormalities in individuals with hair-pulling behavior, no definitive conclusion was drawn. Mild to severe generalized atrophy in the cerebral cortex was observed in the frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, and cingulate lobes.