Behavioral Treatment and Memantine in Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors

Hair pulling disorder (i.e., trichotillomania, TTM) and skin picking disorder (SPD) are often categorized under the umbrella term of BFRB disorders. These repetitive, intentionally performed behaviors often cause noticeable cosmetic issues and may result in clinically significant distress or functional impairment.

Behavioral therapy (BT) is generally regarded as the first-line treatment for BFRBs. One type of BT is comprehensive behavioral treatment (ComB), a treatment that emphasizes habit reversal training and various techniques that target specific BFRB triggers (e.g., sensory cues, such as pressure on the scalp; environmental cues, such as bright lights and mirrors), including emotion dysregulation. The ComB protocol was methodically developed based on expert consensus and demonstrated promising results in one single case design study and a randomized controlled trial comparing it to a minimal attention control condition.

Research has also found benefit of pharmacological agents in the treatment of BFRBs. Most recently, a randomized controlled trial of memantine vs. placebo found statistically significant improvements in disorder severity and life functioning in the memantine group as compared to the placebo group.

Although there are emerging behavioral and psychopharmacological interventions for BFRBs, the research is limited. Additionally, there are no studies comparing the efficacy of first-line behavioral treatments to promising medication interventions for this class of disorders. Given the serious personal consequences associated with trichotillomania and skin picking disorder, there is substantial need for additional research to clarify the best available treatments for BFRBs. Doing so would facilitate future research and the development of refined treatment guidelines. Therefore, the current trial aims to compare the efficacy of behavioral therapy and memantine in adults with trichotillomania and skin picking disorder.

Inclusion criteria

• Men and women ages 18+
• Current DSM-5 diagnosis of trichotillomania (TTM) or skin picking disorder (SPD)
• Ability to understand and sign the consent form
• Stable dose of medications for at least the past 3 months

Exclusion criteria

• Unstable medical illness based on history or clinically significant abnormalities on baseline physical examination
• Current pregnancy or lactation, or inadequate contraception in women of childbearing potential
• Subjects considered an immediate suicide risk based on the Columbia Suicide Severity rating Scale (C-SSRS)
• Past 12-month DSM-5 diagnosis of psychosis, bipolar disorder, mania, or a substance or alcohol use disorder
• Illegal substance use based on urine toxicology screening
• Previous treatment with memantine
• Previous trial of ComB or similar BT protocol (e,g., habit reversal training)
• Cognitive impairment that interferes with the capacity to understand and self-administer medication or provide written informed consent