Abstract
Background: Not all hair pullers improve acutely with cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) and few maintain their gains over time. Methods: We conducted an open clinical trial of a new treatment that addresses affectively triggered pulling and emphasizes relapse prevention in addition to standard CBT approaches. Ten female participants satisfying DSM-IV criteria for trichotillomania (TTM) at two study sites received Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)-enhanced CBTconsisting of 11 weekly sessions and 4 maintenance sessions over the following 3 months. Independent assessors rated hair pulling impairment and global improvement at several study time points. Participants completed self-report measures of hair pulling severity and emotion regulation. Results: Significant improvement in hair pulling severity and emotion regulation, as well as hair pulling impairment and anxiety and depressive symptoms, occurred during acute treatment and were maintained during the subsequent 3 months. Significant correlations were reported between changes in emotion regulation and hair pulling severity during both the acute treatment and maintenance phases. Conclusions: This study offers preliminary evidence for the efficacy of DBT-enhanced CBT for TTM and suggests the importance of addressing emotion regulation during TTM treatment.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 953-959 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Depression and anxiety |
Volume | 27 |
Issue number | 10 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 1 2010 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Dialectical behavior therapy
- Habit reversal
- Hair pulling
- Trichotillomania
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Clinical Psychology