:lol: @ Anon. Gotta love 'em
Anyways, this might be one of the weirder disorders I've ever come across:
Quote:
Trichophagia (Greek: τριχοφαγία, from τρίχα, tricha “hair” + φάγειν, phagein “to eat”) is the compulsive eating of hair. Most often, hair is pulled out and then the ends of the root bulb are eaten, or occasionally the hair shaft itself. The hair can eventually collect in the gastrointestinal tract (on occasion, and depending upon severity of symptoms) causing indigestion and stomach pain. A purgative can be given to induce the elimination of the resulting trichobezoar.
Trichophagia is characterized by the person eating hair, usually their own; primarily after pulling it out. Ritual is a strong factor, and may involve touching the root bulb to the lips, tasting the hair, and occasionally chewing it. Sometimes those with the disorder may even eat the hair of others. In the psychiatric field it is considered a compulsive psychological disorder.
In some cases, surgery may be required to remove the mass.[1] In 2007, an article in The New England Journal of Medicine reported the removal of a hairball weighing ten pounds from the stomach of an eighteen year-old Chicago woman suffering from trichophagia.[2]
There has been at least one reported death, occurring in 1999 in the UK (though this resulted from internal bleeding following the operation to remove a very large hairball)
Can't even imagine what would make someone want to eat hair. Also
@ ten pound hairball. That's a lot of hair! Wonder why the human body doesn't hack it up like cats do.
Which then led me to:
Quote:
The Rapunzel syndrome is an extremely rare intestinal condition in humans resulting from eating hair (trichophagia). The syndrome is named after the long-haired girl Rapunzel in the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. Trichophagia is sometimes associated with the hair pulling disorder trichotillomania.
Characteristics of the syndrome include:
The body of a trichobezoar (hairball) located in the stomach, and its tail in the small bowel and/or in the right colon
Small or large bowel obstruction
Occurring in psychiatric patients
Trichotillomania
At least fourteen cases have been reported in the pediatric age group.
There really is a disorder for just about anything you could think (or not think) of.
The manager's wife at this video game store I used to frequent used to do that. She'd wear scarves and headbands to cover up the fact that she pulled her hair out. Such a nice lady too. Dorky but nice.
@ Anon. Gotta love 'em 
