trichotillomania-associated personality characteristics

background: patients with trichotillomania (tc) have an irreversible urge to pull their hair.  this self-mutilation behavior is associated with high level of tension before and a sense of gratification and relief after tc.   objective: to investigate the personality characteristics of patients suffering from tc.   method: the study was performed on 43 tc patients and 43 gender and age-matched non-psychiatric control individuals who were asked to complete a persian version of the neo personality inventory-revised (neo pi-r).   results: the tc patients had significantly higher scores on neuroticism (p<0.0001) and agreeableness (p<0.05) domains.  the tc patients were high scorers in all neuroticism subscales including anxiety, angry-hostility, depression, self-consciousness, impulsivity, and vulnerability to stress.  the patient group had lower scores on the compliance scale, a subscale of agreeableness.   conclusion: according to costa and mccrae (founders of the neo pi-r) suggestions, the picture of the personality traits or characteristics displayed by our data resembles borderline personality disorder.