Pediatric trichotillomania: descriptive psychopathology and an open trial of cognitive behavioral therapy.
In study 1, 46 children and adolescents with trichotillomania who sought treatment at 2 specialty outpatient clinics were assessed. Most children reported pulling hair from multiple sites on the body, presented with readily visible alopecia, reported spending 30-60 minutes per day pulling or thinking about pulling, and reported experiencing significant distress about their symptoms. Most were described by their parents as having significant problems in school functioning. Few children met criteria for obsessive-compulsive disorder or tic disorder. Child and family rates of other forms of psychopathology were high. In study 2, 22 of these children were enrolled in an open trial of individual cognitive behavioral therapy with particular attention to relapse prevention. Trichotillomania severity decreased significantly and 77% of children were classified as treatment responders at post-treatment and 64% at 6-month follow-up.
Tolin
David F
DF
Anxiety Disorders Center, The Institute of Living/Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT 06106, USA. dtolin@harthosp.org
Franklin
Martin E
ME
Diefenbach
Gretchen J
GJ
Anderson
Emily
E
Meunier
Suzanne A
SA
D002648:Child; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014256:Trichotillomania / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy