Have you heard anything about Rapunzel syndrome? Did you know that in Rapunzel syndrome the person ingests her own hair? Why does a person swallow her hair? In this Psychology-Online article, you will know what it is about Rapunzel Syndrome, what are its causes and what is the treatment.
Despite being a rare disorder, it has serious consequences, so it is important to pay attention to the symptoms of Rapunzel syndrome and seek professional help when they occur.
Index
- What is Rapunzel syndrome?
- Rapunzel syndrome symptoms
- Causes of Rapunzel syndrome
- Rapunzel syndrome diagnosis
- Treatment for Rapunzel syndrome
What is Rapunzel syndrome?
What is Rapunzel syndrome? It is a psychological disorder, also named trichophagia, which can appear in young women, in which the person in question eats his own hair and as a consequence it causes an intestinal obstruction. She is closely related to trichotillomania, a psychological disorder that involves pulling out hair to reduce stress.
The name Rapunzel, which is how the syndrome is known, is due to the character of the children's story of the Brothers Grimm. Rapunzel is the girl with long hair who pulls her braids, and since it is a disorder that deals with hair, her name comes from there.
How is Rapunzel syndrome classified? Rapunzel syndrome or trichophagia, due to its compulsive nature, is classified within impulse control disorders, a category in which we can find disorders such as kleptomania wave pyromania.
In Rapunzel syndrome the person pulls own hair, savor it, bite it, and eventually swallow it. They can also eat other people's hair. According to specialists, over time, these patients end up developing a kind of ritual, and their behavior can also include the hairs of the eyebrows and eyelashes.
Rapunzel syndrome symptoms.
In addition to the problem of hair pulling, this syndrome can cause symptoms throughout the gastrointestinal tract. Let's look at the signs and symptoms of Rapunzel syndrome:
- Pull out hair
- Bite hair
- Tearing hair
- Abdominal pain
- Threw up
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Weightloss
Causes of Rapunzel syndrome.
Why does Rapunzel syndrome occur? It is a disorder in which the individual has an obsessive compulsive profile, and her behavior is to pull out her hair and ingest it, therefore, the causes are not completely known.
On the other hand, studies carried out with people who suffered with this syndrome have been able to affirm that she is related to anxiety problems, depressive problems and low self-esteem.
Anxiety is presented to the individual as intense anguish, in which feelings of despair and discomfort can even arise that affect his life.
In this way, when we talk about obsessive compulsive behavior, it is about thoughts or impulses that occur frequently, that is, the person cannot control, even if they want to. Obsessions arise while the person is thinking or doing other things. Also, obsessions generally cause great anguish and anxiety.
Rapunzel syndrome diagnosis.
The specialists affirm that the diagnosis is not easy, because many times the person denies that he is ingesting hair, that is, he hides the information about trichophagia. To make a diagnosis, the most used methods are ultrasonography, digestive endoscopy, and computed tomography.
When ingesting hair, when it reaches the stomach, it is not digested, because the human gastrointestinal tract is unable to digest it, so it remains there for a long period of time. With increasing ingestion of hair, a large ball of hair forms in the stomach, which is called a trichobezoar.
How is Rapunzel syndrome cured? The only way to remove it is by surgery. This hairball can cause gastrointestinal discomfort in the person, and in more severe cases, a intestinal tract obstruction.
Now that you know what Rapunzel syndrome is like, let's talk about the treatments that exist.
Treatment for Rapunzel syndrome.
It is important to focus treatment on eliminating compulsive behaviors, as this is very serious. For that, the cognitive behavioral psychotherapy with the objective of treat compulsive thoughts as well as anxious and depressive symptoms. Above all, trying the behavior of pulling or swallowing hair.
It would also be appropriate to carry out a neuropsychological evaluation, since in this way it is possible to offer a more complete study, and is a way of gaining perspective from the point of view organic. So, I would summarize a vision not only psychological, but also neurological. Providing to evaluate brain functions, checking if there is brain damage that may be driving compulsive behaviors that lead a person to have a certain behavior.
You can go to a specialist to perform the drug prescription aimed at anxiety and depression, since these symptoms are associated with the disorder.
In fact, it would be a multidisciplinary work, since the presence of health professionals such as:
- A gastroenterologist, to perform the necessary tests related to the digestive system.
- A psychologist to accompany the case, conducting psychotherapy with the objective of reducing and eliminating the symptoms of the disorder.
- A psychiatrist to prescribe the drugs necessary for the treatment of the syndrome.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Rapunzel syndrome: symptoms, causes and treatment, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.
Bibliography
- American Psychiatric Association. (2014). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5. Porto Alegre: Artmed.
- Soria, M., Betancout, M., Moyon, M., Chavez, J. Abarca, F., Robles, C. (2019). Giant Rapunzel syndrome with atypical complication: A case report.Journal of Gastroenterology of Peru, 39 (1), 74-77. Recovered from: http://www.scielo.org.pe/scielo.php? script = sci_arttext & pid = S1022-51292019000100011 & lng = es & tlng = es.
