Retrospective review of treatment outcome for 63 patients with trichotillomania.
OBJECTIVE
The authors' goal was to assess naturalistic treatment outcome in trichotillomania.


METHODS
Sixty-three patients who had been treated in a specialty clinic for trichotillomania over a period of 6 years were contacted. The patients were given paper-and-pencil instruments that assessed current severity of hairpulling, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, and psychosocial functioning.


RESULTS
Significant mean improvement was found on measures of hairpulling, depression, anxiety, self-esteem, and psychosocial functioning. Improvement in hairpulling was associated with greater depression at the time of their index clinic evaluation as well as more improvement in depression after treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
State-of-the-art behavioral and pharmacological treatments offer substantial clinical benefit to patients with trichotillomania, both in hairpulling symptoms and ancillary measures of functioning.
Keuthen
N J
NJ
Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital 02129, USA. Keuthen@psych.mgh.harvard.edu
O'Sullivan
R L
RL
Goodchild
P
P
Rodriguez
D
D
Jenike
M A
MA
Baer
L
L
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D001521:Behavior Therapy; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D015897:Comorbidity; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014256:Trichotillomania / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*
D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors