Research article summary (published 30 Oct 1995):

Childhood trichotillomania: clinical phenomenology, comorbidity, and family genetics.

Full Abstract

OBJECTIVE: DSM-IV defines trichotillomania as an impulse disorder with rising tension followed by relief or gratification. Alternative formulations view trichotillomania as an internalizing disorder or variant of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This study addresses this controversy by examining the phenomenology, comorbidity, and family genetics of childhood trichotillomania. METHOD: Fifteen chronic hair-pullers (13 girls), aged 9 through 17 years (mean 12.3 +/- 2.3 years), were systematically assessed. Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) profiles of the hair-pulling girls were compared with those of 37 girls from a general child psychiatry clinic and of 15 girls with OCD. RESULTS: All the hair-pullers had impairing cosmetic disfigurement; however, 4 subjects (26.7%) denied rising tension or relief. All three groups had comparable global CBCL problem scores. The CBCL symptom profile of the hair-pulling group differed significantly from that of the general clinic group but strongly resembled that of the OCD group. The hair-pulling group, however, had few obsessions or compulsions aside from hair-pulling; two (13%) subjects met criteria for OCD. As a group, hair-pulling subjects had substantial comorbid psychopathology, and a parental history of tics, habits, or obsessive-compulsive symptoms was common. CONCLUSIONS: These findings lend only partial support to the notion of trichotillomania as an OCD-spectrum disorder. Rising tension followed by relief or gratification may not be an appropriate diagnostic criterion for trichotillomania.

Author information

Author/s: King, R A (RA); Scahill, L (L); Vitulano, L A (LA); Schwab-Stone, M (M); Tercyak, K P (KP); Riddle, M A (MA);

Affiliation: Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.

Grants: MH30929 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS) ; MH46717 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS) ; MH49351 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Journal: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry), published in UNITED STATES. (Language: eng)

Reference: 1995-Nov; vol 34 (issue 11) : pp 1451-9

Dates: Created 1996/02/13; Completed 1996/02/13; Revised 2007/11/14;

PMID: 8543512, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

Comments and Corrections

CommentIn: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 1999 Dec;38(12):1470-1. (PMID: 10596242)

External Links for this article
(including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adolescent Child Female Humans Male

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - complications; diagnosis Psychiatric Status Rating Scales Severity of Illness Index Tic Disorders - complications Trichotillomania - complications; diagnosis; genetics

Related articles

These are the highest related articles currently in the database:

• Severe obsessive-compulsive disorder with and without comorbid hair pulling: comparisons and clinical implications. 29 Jun 2005
• Trichotillomania. An obsessive compulsive spectrum disorder? 29 Nov 1992
• Impact of age at onset and duration of illness on the expression of comorbidities in obsessive-compulsive disorder. 30 Dec 2003
• Tics and Tourette's disorder: a 2- to 7-year follow-up of 54 obsessive-compulsive children. 30 Aug 1992
• Trichotillomania. 29 Jun 1987
• Trichotillomania in childhood. 29 Sep 1986
• Trichotillomania and obsessive-compulsive disorder. 30 Dec 1994
• Practice parameters for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder. AACAP. 29 Sep 1998
• [Obsessive-compulsive disorders in children. Subtypes of OCD and their relation to infection with group A streptococci] 3 Aug 2002

See 100+ related articles.

Related Article Map

Legend: - FREE Full text Article. - Abstract only. - Title only. More help.

See a large map of 100+ related articles.