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Behavioral Treatment and Memantine in Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors

Description

The goal of the proposed study is to compare the efficacy of behavioral treatment (BT) to memantine, a psychopharmacological agent, for BFRBs. 28 subjects with trichotillomania (TTM) or skin picking disorder (SPD) will receive 8 weeks of memantine treatment, followed by 8 weeks of comprehensive behavioral therapy (ComB) treatment. The hypothesis to be tested is that behavioral therapy will be associated with superior clinical outcomes as compared to memantine. A second hypothesis is that both memantine and behavioral therapy will demonstrate improvement from baseline to the respective posttreatment assessment.

Study Overview

Study Details

Study overview

The goal of the proposed study is to compare the efficacy of behavioral treatment (BT) to memantine, a psychopharmacological agent, for BFRBs. 28 subjects with trichotillomania (TTM) or skin picking disorder (SPD) will receive 8 weeks of memantine treatment, followed by 8 weeks of comprehensive behavioral therapy (ComB) treatment. The hypothesis to be tested is that behavioral therapy will be associated with superior clinical outcomes as compared to memantine. A second hypothesis is that both memantine and behavioral therapy will demonstrate improvement from baseline to the respective posttreatment assessment.

Single-Group Crossover Trial Comparing Behavioral Treatment to Memantine in Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors

Behavioral Treatment and Memantine in Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors

Condition
Skin-Picking
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

Chicago

University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60637

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility 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
  • * 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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 Years to

Sexes Eligible for Study

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Collaborators and Investigators

University of Chicago,

Jon E Grant, MD, JD, MPH, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, University of Chicago

Gregory Chasson, PhD, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, University of Chicago

Study Record Dates

2025-12-01