Cognitive Behavioral Treatment of Pediatric Trichotillomania

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT00043563

Enrollment

Registered

2002-08-12

Start date

2001-01-31

Completion date

2004-10-31

Last updated

2015-12-16

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Trichotillomania

Keywords

Cognitive-behavior Therapy, Minimal Attention Control

Brief summary

This study will compare the effectiveness of cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) to a minimal attention control (AC) condition for treatment of pediatric trichotillomania (TTM).

Detailed description

TTM is a persistent impulse control disorder in which the individual acts on urges to pull out his or her own hair. Onset typically occurs by adolescence, and TTM is often associated with significant functional impairment and distress. CBT is a type of psychotherapy designed to change problematic behaviors and thinking. It includes self-monitoring of hair-pulling urges and homework assignments to practice the use of cognitive and behavioral strategies. Participants are assigned randomly to receive either CBT or AC for 8 weeks. Participants assigned to CBT receive weekly 1-hour sessions of CBT for 8 weeks; participants assigned to AC receive 6 telephone contacts and 2 in-person sessions for 8 weeks. After 8 weeks, CBT participants who respond to treatment enter Phase II, which lasts an additional 8 weeks and includes 4 in-person maintenance sessions. AC participants who are still symptomatic after 8 weeks are offered CBT.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALCognitive-Behavior Therapy

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

8 Years to 17 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Primary diagnosis of Trichotillomania * Minimum symptom duration of 6 months * Presence of a stable parent or guardian

Exclusion criteria

* Other primary psychiatric diagnosis * Bipolar illness, pervasive developmental disorder, thought disorder, current major depression, ADD/ADHD * Concurrent psychotherapy * Currently receiving psychotropic medications

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Trichotillomania Severity Scale	1 week	Semi-structured interview about hair-pulling and related symptoms

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 31, 2026