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Updated: Jan 27, 2026

Pupillary Response as Assessment of Effective Seizure Induction by Electroconvulsive Therapy
Published on: April 11, 2019
Electroconvulsive therapy for trichotillomania in a bipolar patient
Leonardo F Fontenelle1,2,3, Samara Dos Santos-Ribeiro1, Juliana Kalaf4
1Obsessive, Compulsive, and Anxiety Spectrum Research Program, Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Abstract:
A recent review on the use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in obsessive-compulsive-related disorders (OCRDs) identified reports of trichotillomania (TTM) in only three patients, but it did not describe the specific effect of ECT on hair-pulling behaviors. The authors present a case report of Mrs. A, a 77-year-old widowed housewife with a lifelong history of episodic TTM and bipolar disorder who was effectively treated with ECT. However, on each attempt to withdraw ECT, her condition deteriorated. Eventually, a decision was made to maintain ECT (one session every week), which resulted in no further relapse over the followup period. ECT shows some potential promise for reducing hair-pulling behaviors in the context of severe depression.
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