What is trichotillomania (hair pulling disorder) and how does TricTrak help?

Trichotillomania is a body-focused repetitive behavior (BFRB) characterized by recurrent, compulsive urges to pull out hair from the scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes, or other body areas. TricTrak uses advanced hand and face tracking technology to detect when your hands approach these areas, providing real-time alerts before hair pulling occurs. This awareness-based intervention is based on Habit Reversal Training (HRT), a proven therapeutic technique for managing trichotillomania. The app's progress tracking features help identify patterns and triggers while the gamification elements provide positive reinforcement, making TricTrak a comprehensive solution for those struggling with hair pulling disorder.

Is TricTrak effective for stopping nail biting?

TricTrak has shown significant effectiveness in reducing nail biting behavior. Our specialized region tracking detects when hands approach the face and mouth areas, providing immediate alerts that interrupt the nail biting cycle. The app's progress tracking visualizes your improvement over time, showing your longest nail biting-free streaks and overall reduction in incidents. Unlike bitter nail polishes or physical barriers, TricTrak addresses the unconscious habit pattern directly, helping you develop lasting awareness and control over nail biting behavior.

Can TricTrak help with skin picking disorder (dermatillomania/excoriation)?

Yes, TricTrak is highly effective for managing skin picking disorder. The app's advanced tracking system detects the characteristic hand movements associated with skin picking and alerts you before damage occurs. By increasing real-time awareness of picking behaviors, TricTrak helps interrupt the skin picking cycle while simultaneously tracking frequency and duration. Users can customize specific body regions to monitor including the face, scalp, and other common picking sites. The app's progress visualization features help identify problem areas, creating a comprehensive approach to overcoming skin picking behavior through consistent awareness training.

How does TricTrak's BFRB treatment approach work?

TricTrak employs a multi-faceted approach to treating body-focused repetitive behaviors based on clinically-validated principles:

1. Real-time Awareness Training: Using pre-trained machine learning models, TricTrak detects problematic hand movements before the BFRB occurs, creating awareness of unconscious habits.
2. Habit Interruption: Customizable alerts (sound, visual, or vibration) break the automatic behavior cycle, giving you the opportunity to make a different choice.
3. Progress Tracking: Comprehensive data visualization helps identify patterns, triggers, and improvement over time.
4. Positive Reinforcement: Gamification elements like streaks and badges provide motivation and celebrate progress.
5. Consistency Building: Daily usage tracking and reminders help establish a consistent practice of awareness.

This evidence-based approach addresses both the unconscious nature of BFRBs and the need for consistent practice to develop new neural pathways and healthier habits.

Which browsers support TricTrak? Can I use it on mobile?

TricTrak works in any modern web browser, including mobile devices! We support Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge on both iOS and Android. The app is responsive and adapts to different screen sizes, though for optimal tracking performance, we recommend using the app on a desktop or laptop for the most effective monitoring of trichotillomania, nail biting, and skin picking.

Does TricTrak still work if I switch tabs or use different applications?

Yes! TricTrak's Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode allows for continuous BFRB monitoring even when navigating away from the app. This feature ensures uninterrupted tracking of hair pulling, nail biting, skin picking and other behaviors while you work, browse, or use other applications. Simply click the PiP Mode button below the video feed to create a small floating window that continues tracking and alerting, making it easy to integrate TricTrak into your daily routine without disrupting your workflow or productivity.

What makes TricTrak different from other trichotillomania treatments?

Unlike traditional treatments for hair pulling disorder that rely solely on willpower or awareness after the behavior has occurred, TricTrak provides real-time intervention before the pulling happens. Here's how TricTrak compares to other trichotillomania treatments:

• Physical Barriers: Gloves or bandages can be uncomfortable and impractical for daily life. TricTrak provides protection without physical limitations.
• Traditional Therapy: While valuable, therapy typically occurs once weekly. TricTrak provides continuous support and habit tracking between sessions, enhancing therapeutic outcomes.
• Medication: Medications may have side effects and often address anxiety rather than the behavior itself. TricTrak targets the specific behavior pattern directly.
• Manual Tracking: Self-monitoring relies on remembering to record incidents after they occur. TricTrak automates detection and provides real-time intervention.

Many users find TricTrak works best as part of a comprehensive treatment approach, complementing professional therapy while providing day-to-day support and objective progress tracking for trichotillomania management.

What are your privacy and security measures?

Your privacy and data security are our top priority. We built TricTrak with a single goal in mind: to help people break free from compulsive behaviors while developing lasting awareness and positive habits. We're here to support your journey, not harvest your data. We don't collect biometrics, train AI models with your data, or share any personal information with third parties.

• All tracking and processing happens locally on your device, not on our servers
• Your video feed NEVER leaves your computer and is NEVER stored; it is only accessible to you
• We only store essential account information (email) and progress data
• We use industry-standard encryption (AES-256) for all login and progress data storage
• We employ a comprehensive security infrastructure as detailed in our Privacy Policy

When dealing with sensitive conditions like trichotillomania and other BFRBs, privacy is paramount - that's why we've designed our entire system with your confidentiality as the foundation.

How can I optimize TricTrak's habit tracking performance?

To ensure TricTrak provides the most effective behavioral monitoring and alerting, consider these optimization tips:

• Lighting: Ensure your face is well-lit from the front; avoid strong backlighting
• Background: A plain, contrasting background improves tracking accuracy
• Distance: Position yourself 2-5 feet from the camera for optimal tracking
• Camera angle: Your face should be centered in the frame and clearly visible
• Camera quality: Higher resolution cameras generally provide better tracking
• Internet connection: While all tracking is local, a stable connection helps with data syncing

If you find that the app is having trouble detecting specific boundaries, don't worry! Simple adjustments like changing the camera angle, increasing/decreasing your distance from the camera, or modifying the lighting typically resolves any tracking issues.

Which body regions can TricTrak monitor for BFRBs?

TricTrak offers customizable tracking modes for different body-focused repetitive behaviors, allowing you to target specific problem areas:

• Scalp Tracking: Monitors the top and sides of the head for trichotillomania (hair pulling)
• Eyebrow Tracking: Specifically detects hand movements near eyebrows for eyebrow pulling
• Eyelash Tracking: Monitors the eye area for eyelash pulling behaviors
• Beard/Mustache Tracking: Detects pulling in the lower face region
• Mouth Tracking: Ideal for nail biting prevention
• Full Face Tracking: Comprehensive monitoring for multiple BFRBs

You can enable multiple tracking modes simultaneously to address complex BFRB patterns, and your region preferences can be saved in your account settings so they are automatically enabled upon logging in.

How do TricTrak's alerts help stop hair pulling and nail biting?

TricTrak's alert system is designed to interrupt BFRB patterns before they fully manifest, with customizable options to match your preferences and environment:

• Sound alerts: Range from gentle tones to more noticeable sounds
• Visual alerts: On-screen notifications and visual feedback
• Vibration alerts: Available on supported mobile devices
• Positive affirmations: Encouraging messages to reinforce progress

These alerts create a moment of conscious awareness that interrupts the automatic BFRB cycle, giving you the opportunity to put a stop to the behavior. With consistent use, this awareness training helps rewire neural pathways associated with hair pulling, nail biting, skin picking, and other compulsive behaviors.

How does TricTrak track my progress with trichotillomania and other BFRBs?

TricTrak provides comprehensive progress tracking for your individual journey:

• Session Analytics: Duration, timestamps, and alert frequency per session
• Streak Tracking: Current streak and personal best (longest time between alerts)
• Region Analysis: Identifies which body areas have the most frequent alerts
• Time-of-Day Patterns: Visualizes when BFRBs are most likely to occur
• Long-term Trends: Charts showing improvement over days, weeks, and months
• Achievement System: Badges and milestones to celebrate progress

This data helps you identify patterns and triggers while providing motivation through visible progress. All tracking information is encrypted, stored securely, and visible only to you, creating a private but comprehensive view of your BFRB management journey.