Sleep-Isolated Trichotillomania As An Ictal Symptom Of Complex Partial Seizure In A 12-Year-Old Girl: A Case Report

Year 2022, Volume: 44 Issue: 4, 484 - 488, 31.12.2022

Beyza Bozok Öykü Özdemir Ayla Uzun Cicek Halil Ural Aksoy İlknur Ucuz Elif Abanoz

https://doi.org/10.7197/cmj.1194080

Abstract

Sleep-isolated trichotillomania (TTM) is the unconscious and automatic pulling of one's hair only while sleeping. In previous case reports, sleep-isolated TTM has been categorized as a sleep-related disorder or a sleep-related dissociative disorder in case reports, and a treatment strategy in this direction has been implemented. However, to our knowledge, no reports have been published describing hair pulling during sleep as a symptom of epilepsy and its pharmacological treatment. In this case report, we present the hair-pulling behavior during sleep as an ictal manifestation of complex partial seizure in a 12-year-old girl and its successful treatment with levetiracetam. We suggest that epilepsy should be suspected in addition to parasomnias and sleep-related dissociative disorder in the differential diagnosis, especially in cases presenting with isolated TTM behavior during sleep.

Keywords

Trichotillomania, sleep, sleep-isolated trichotillomania, epilepsy, levetiracetam

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