Trichotillomania and related disorders in children and adolescents

Eleven chronic hair pullers, 11 subjects with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and 11 subjects with a non-OCD anxiety disorder were assessed with structured interviews and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Only 4 hair pullers (36%) reported both rising tension and relief with hair pulling. Each group had significantly more internalizing than externalizing symptoms on the CBCL. Seven hair pullers (64%) had a lifetime history of at least one other axis I diagnosis. The results provide further evidence that trichotillomania in referred children and adolescents is usually a chronic disorder often associated with internalizing symptoms and psychiatric comorbidity. Rising tension followed by relief with hair pulling may be an unnecessary restriction in the diagnosis of childhood trichotillomania.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43954/1/10578_2006_Article_BF02353354.pd

Epidemiologic and clinical updates on impulse control disorders: a critical review

The article reviews the current knowledge about the impulse control disorders (ICDs) with specific emphasis on epidemiological and pharmacological advances. In addition to the traditional ICDs present in the DSM-IV—pathological gambling, trichotillomania, kleptomania, pyromania and intermittent explosive disorder—a brief description of the new proposed ICDs—compulsive–impulsive (C–I) Internet usage disorder, C–I sexual behaviors, C–I skin picking and C–I shopping—is provided. Specifically, the article summarizes the phenomenology, epidemiology and comorbidity of the ICDs. Particular attention is paid to the relationship between ICDs and obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). Finally, current pharmacological options for treating ICDs are presented and discussed

Psychopharmacological treatment of trichotillomania in an adolescent case: Significant improvement with aripiprazole augmentation [Bir ergen olguda trikotilomaninin psikofarmakolojik tedavisi: Aripiprazol augmentasyonu ile belirgin iyileşme]

Trichotillomania (TTM) is a chronic impulse control disorder characterized by pulling out one’s own hair, resulting in noticeable hair loss. The emergence of TTM is generally in adolescence. A number of pharmacological agents and psychotherapy (especially cognitive-behavioral therapy) have been used in the treatment of TTM but in the literature, no consensus has yet been established. Here, we report the case of a 15-year-old adolescent with trichotillomania who responded to aripiprazole treatment. © 2014, Cukurova Univ Tip Fakultesi Psikiyatri Anabilim Dali. All rights reserved