Trichotillomania: A perspective from bibliometric analysis

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Bibliometrics
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Trichotillomania is an obsessive-compulsive-related disorder characterized by recurrent hair pulling.
• Existing research on trichotillomania lacks a clear synthesis of overarching trends.
• Bibliometric analysis offers a method to identify patterns and key contributors in scientific literature.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a bibliometric analysis of trichotillomania research.
• To identify trends, influential authors, and key publications in the field.
• To provide a foundation for future research directions.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was performed using the Web of Science database.
• Bibliometric data were analyzed using VOSviewer software.
• Analysis focused on citation counts, prolific authors, publication venues, and keyword frequency.

Main Results:

• The most cited article was by Simonoff et al.
• Grant JE was identified as the most prolific author.
• The "Journal of Obsessive Compulsive and Related Disorders" published the most articles, with "trichotillomania" as the most frequent keyword.
• Research has predominantly focused on treatment, clinical features, and psychiatric comorbidities.

Conclusions:

• Key research areas include treatment modalities and the psychiatric and physical comorbidities of trichotillomania.
• There is a need to enhance international research collaborations in trichotillomania.
• This analysis provides a roadmap for future scientific inquiry into hair-pulling disorder.