title: Treatment of early onset hair pulling as a simple habit.
abstract: The authors evaluated the effects of response prevention, a treatment previously shown to be effective for routine thumb sucking and suggested to be effective for early onset trichotillomania, applied to hair pulling in a 2-year-old. Response prevention was used alone in two settings (bedtime and naptime) and combined with a brief time out in another (daytime). The authors also used a novel assessment, weight of hairs pulled, and the results indicated complete cessation of hair pulling. Corresponding photographic evidence indicated complete regrowth of hair lost to pulling. These results add to a growing literature suggesting early onset hair pulling may be more appropriately classified as a benign habit than as trichotillomania.
authors.affiliation: University of Nevada, Reno 89557, USA.
authors.forename: Michelle R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Byrd
authors.forename: David F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.forename: Gayleen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hove
authors.forename: Patrick C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Friman
mesh_terms: D001521:Behavior Therapy; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006184:Habits; D006801:Humans; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D014256:Trichotillomania / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*