Behavioral treatment of children and adolescents with trichotillomania

Trichotillomania is a behavior disorder with onset generally in childhood, characterized by repetitive, compulsive pulling out of hair from the scalp, eyebrows, or other parts of the body, often leading to disfigurement. Trichotillomania tends to be persistent and is often resistant to counselling and standard psychiatric care. A systematic behavioral treatment program for children and adolescents and pilot findings with three patients are described. Methodological issues in relation to compliance and assessment are discussed. The relative safety and potential effectiveness of behavioral techniques suggest a useful role for this approach, perhaps in conjunction with pharmacological, family, and other treatment modalities.