Definition of "trichotillomania" []

• The compulsion to tear or pluck out the hair on one's head and face and often to ingest it. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "But rather than indulge in trichotillomania, do something about it."
• "Often a harmless habit, in its most extreme form, the urge to constantly twirl or pull at hair is called trichotillomania, and it can lead to bald spots or thinning hair."
• "The BBC has a news story on the genetics of a disorder called trichotillomania compulsive hair-pulling that typifies the way genetics discoveries are reported in the media."