Trichotillomania: Group Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

August 18, 2015 updated by: Hermano Tavares, University of Sao Paulo

Group Treatment for Trichotillomania: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Versus Supportive Therapy

Objective: Trichotillomania is a psychiatric condition characterized by chronic pulling and plucking of one's own hair. Cognitive behavioral therapy shows promise as a treatment. However, there have been no randomized, controlled studies of the efficacy of group cognitive-behavioral therapy. Methods: We evaluated 44 subjects, whom met the criteria for a diagnosis of trichotillomania. Subjects were randomized to receive 22 sessions of either group cognitive-behavioral therapy or group supportive therapy (control).

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

44

Phase

  • Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Brazil
      • São Paulo, Brazil, 05403-010
        • Instituto de Psiquiatria da Universidade de São Paulo

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients having been diagnosed with trichotillomania according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV (DSM-IV) criteria; being at least 18 years of age; and having had four or more years of schooling.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients that having been diagnosed with trichotillomania according to DSM-IV criteria; having less of 18 years of age; and having less of four years of schooling.
  • Patients with a history of suicidal ideation,
  • Patients with any clinical pathology requiring emergency treatment at admission,
  • Patients with mental retardation or any other central nervous system disorder that severely impairs cognitive function,
  • those with a psychotic disorder,
  • those currently being treated with psychotropic drugs,
  • those with any DSM-IV axis II diagnosis,
  • those who scored ≤ 2 on the MGH-HPS in an initial screening.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: TREATMENT
  • Allocation: RANDOMIZED
  • Interventional Model: PARALLEL
  • Masking: QUADRUPLE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
EXPERIMENTAL: Group cognitive-behavioral therapy
22 subjects, all of whom met the criteria for a diagnosis of trichotillomania established in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition. Subjects receive 22 sessions of group cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Behavioral: Cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Subjects receive 22 sessions of cognitive-behavioral therapy.
ACTIVE_COMPARATOR: Group supportive therapy (control)
22 subjects, all of whom met the criteria for a diagnosis of trichotillomania established in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition. Subjects receive 22 sessions of group supportive therapy (control).
Other: Supportive therapy.
Subjects receive 22 sessions of supportive therapy.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Hairpulling Scale (HPS)
Time Frame: 22 weeks
The MGH-HPS comprises seven self-report items that are scored on a Likert scale (0-4 points).22 Higher MGH-HPS scores correspond to greater severity of trichotillomania symptoms. Reference: Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Journal 1995;64:141-5
22 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)
Time Frame: 22 weeks
The BDI consists of 21 items, scored from 0 to 3, higher scores corresponding to greater severity of depression. It is a self-report measure of depression that is widely used in research and in clinical practice. Reference: Archives of General Psychiatry 1961;4:53-63.
22 weeks

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Social Adjustment Scale (SAS) Self-Report (SR)
Time Frame: 22 weeks
The SAS-SR is a self-report scale consisting of 54 questions addressing seven specific areas in relation to the last two weeks25: work; social life and leisure; family relationships; marital relationship; relationships with children; home life; and financial status, each corresponding to a partial score. Reference: Archives of General Psychiatry 1976;33:111-5.
22 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Sao Paulo

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

January 1, 2008

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

December 1, 2010

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 20, 2013

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 20, 2013

First Posted (ESTIMATE)

October 24, 2013

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ESTIMATE)

August 19, 2015

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 18, 2015

Last Verified

October 1, 2013

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • CaPPesq 0013/08

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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