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.

Conditions

Skin-Picking, Trichotillomania (Hair-Pulling Disorder)

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