This study reports on the demographics, phenomenology, and family history of 22 compulsive hair pullers. Subjects were recruited through a psychiatric outpatient clinic as well as newspaper advertisements. Subjects completed a semistructured interview focused on hair-pulling behavior and demographics, the Diagnostic Interview Schedule to assess major (Axis I) mental disorders, and the Structured Interview for DSM-III-R Personality Disorders to assess Axis II disorders. The typical subject was a 33-year-old woman who had completed 1 or more years of college and had been pulling her hair for 19 years. Nearly two-thirds met the criteria for a major mental disorder (particularly anxiety and mood disorders), and more than one-half met the criteria for a personality disorder. Nearly three-quarters of first-degree relatives were reported to have a psychiatric disorder, and about 5% were reported to be hair pullers.